Companies on the list cannot receive U.S. military contracts and inclusion on the list poses significant reputational risks, experts say.
Senator Marco Rubio, vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to immediately add CATL – formerly known as China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co – to the list, arguing that “it would also send a strong signal to U.S. companies currently considering partnering with CATL.”
CATL said its battery products have helped millions of Americans during power outages and are passive products “that pose no greater threat to national security than a brick.” The company said the lawmakers’ letter “contains allegations that are factually inaccurate and completely without merit,” adding CATL “is not controlled by the Chinese government.”
The Pentagon did not immediately comment.
The lawmakers said CATL has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and its military, arguing: “Reliance on CATL batteries endangers U.S. national security by making us dependent on the CCP for energy infrastructure.”
In February, the Defense Department added more than a dozen Chinese companies to the list as part of a broader effort to prevent American technology from benefiting China.
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Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler
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