U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) are demanding that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) blacklist Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), a major electric vehicle battery manufacturer with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military arm, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The lawmakers argue that CATL’s influence threatens U.S. national security by making the country reliant on China for critical energy infrastructure.
Despite the DoD acknowledging the potential threats posed by CATL, the company has not yet been added to the “1260H list,” which identifies Chinese military-linked companies operating in the U.S. and bars them from DoD contracts. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 prohibits the DoD from working with any entity on this list, including CATL.
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In a letter addressed to DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin, Senators Rubio and Moolenaar urged the department to immediately place CATL on the 1260H list. They emphasized the need to safeguard America’s military infrastructure from potential exposure to the PLA and to signal to U.S. companies the dangers of partnering with CATL.
“By including CATL on the Section 1260H List, the DoD would not only protect America’s military assets from the PLA but also warn U.S. businesses considering collaborations with CATL,” the senators wrote.
The lawmakers highlighted CATL’s significant ties to the CCP and its role in Beijing’s Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) strategy. They also noted the company’s influence in the global electric vehicle market, where it holds a 37.5% share, and its alignment with other entities already on the 1260H list.
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The letter follows previous actions by Senator Rubio, including a successful bipartisan effort to remove CATL batteries from a U.S. military installation at Camp Lejeune. The senators called for more comprehensive measures to prevent CATL’s involvement in U.S. military projects and to counter its broader ambitions in the American energy sector.
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