U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) asked the U.S. Department of Defense to immediately place CATL on the list of companies operating in the United States that have ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s Military-Civilian Fusion Strategy.
In a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rubio asked that Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) be placed on the Section 1260H list, which would effectively blacklist the company from being used by the U.S. military. CATL makes electric vehicle batteries and is suspected of having deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army. The Congressmen said the reliance on CATL batteries would endanger U.S. national security by making the country dependent on the Chinese Communist Party for energy infrastructure and possibly support a company that backs the Chinese military.
“U.S. policymakers have a duty to stand in resolute opposition to any effort by America’s adversaries that threaten our national and economic security,” the congressmen wrote. “By including CATL on the Section 1260H List, the DoD would not only safeguard America’s military infrastructure from exposure to the PLA, it would also send a powerful signal to U.S. companies who are currently weighing partnerships with CATL.”
The DoD has previously acknowledged the threat CATL poses, but has yet to place the company on the 1260H list, the congressmen said. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2024 prohibits the DoD from contracting with entities on the 1260H list.