by Owen Klinsky
Republican lawmakers are calling on the Department of Defense (DOD) to block a Chinese maker of electric vehicle (EV) batteries from accepting U.S. military contracts and deter the company’s American customers from using its services.
Republican Congressman John Moolenaar of Michigan and Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida sent letter to the Pentagon on Wednesday asking it to add electric vehicle battery maker CATL to its 1260H list that identifies companies “engaged in supporting Beijing’s military ambitions” and bars them from being awarded defense contracts. Lawmakers accused CATL of being controlled by China because of “subsidies, tax incentives [and] “favorable procurement contracts” from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and furthering the interests of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by supporting its battery infrastructure.
“American policymakers have an obligation to vigorously oppose any actions by America’s adversaries that threaten our national and economic security,” Moolenaar and Rubio wrote. “By placing CATL on the Section 1260H list, DoD will not only safeguard America’s military infrastructure from exposure to the PLA, but it will also send a strong signal to American companies currently considering partnerships with CATL.”
Before the letter was sent, the US military had already taken steps to reduce ties to CATL, which led the Marine Corps to remove one of the company’s batteries from an energy storage system at its Camp Lejeune base in February, and the Navy to commit to buying only American or allied batteries in April, According to to Reuters and military news website Military.com.
However, the company still operates in the American industry, supplying technology for the production of Ford batteries. object in Michigan and are developing a battery storage system in Texas, according to the letter.
The battery company CATL has deep ties to communist China. Our country should not install these batteries anywhere in our country because of the national security risk they pose.
WITH @RepMoolenaarpersuaded @DeptofDefense blacklist CATL.https://t.co/FE1XuHmFQu
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) August 28, 2024
In addition to receiving grants and public procurement contracts contractsthe letter claims that CATL is formally affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party cooperation with China Mobile, the Chinese telecommunications company that came under federal investigation in June for allegedly providing American data to Beijing, Reuters reportedMeanwhile, the letter claims that CATL founder and major shareholder Zeng Yuqun is a “fervent” supporter of the Chinese Communist Party and a graduate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “a state-run entity closely linked to the PLA and MCF [Military-Civil Fusion] “ecosystem.”
“CATL’s extensive ties to the PLA and the MCF CCP strategy demonstrate that this company meets the criteria for inclusion on the Section 1260H list,” the letter reads. “We expect DoD to act swiftly to add CATL to the list and to urgently enforce measures to prevent further exposure of the U.S. military to CATL’s systems.”
CATL and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Owen Klinsky is a reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation.
