A group of nine US lawmakers this week sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging the Pentagon to include several Chinese technology companies on the list of entities allegedly helping the Chinese military.
The letter, sent Thursday night after US President Donald Trump signed a must-pass $1 trillion military spending bill into law, asks Hegseth to include artificial intelligence company DeepSeek, smartphone maker Xiaomi and electronic display maker BOE Technology Group on what is known as the Section 1260H list.
This list already includes major Chinese companies such as Tencent Holdings, one of the largest technology companies in China, and CATL, a major battery manufacturer in the electric vehicle industry.
While the 1260H list does not formally sanction Chinese companies, it sends a message to suppliers to the War Department and other U.S. government agencies about the military’s view of these companies, some of which sued the country for their inclusion.
Read more: US adds dozens of Chinese entities to its export blacklist
These companies could be included in the list against China
Trump ordered the Department of Defense to change its name to the Department of War, a change that will require intervention from Congress.
In June, Reuters reported that a senior US official claimed that DeepSeek helped the Chinese military and evaded US export controls. BOE, a supplier to iPhone maker Apple, was also among several Chinese display companies that U.S. lawmakers are asking the Pentagon to remove from its supply chain by 2030.
The lawmakers — all Republicans and several heads of key congressional committees — recommended also including WuXi AppTec, GenScript Group, RoboSense, Livox, Unitree Robotics, CloudMinds, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Shennan Circuit Co. and Kingsemi Co.
The lawmakers who signed the letter were Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan; Senator Rick Scott of Florida; Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas; Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York; Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia; Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan; Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota; Rep. Darin LaHood of Illinois and Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee.
With information from Reuters
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