by Owen Klinsky
Republican lawmakers are urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to bar a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer from receiving U.S. military contracts and deter the company’s U.S. clients from using its services.
Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan and Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio sent a letter to the Pentagon Wednesday requesting EV battery-maker CATL be added to its 1260H list that identifies company’s “involved in bolstering Beijing’s military ambitions” and prohibits them from being awarded defense contracts. The lawmakers accused CATL of being controlled by China due to “subsidies, tax incentives [and] favorable procurement deals” from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and of furthering the interests of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by supporting its battery infrastructure.
“U.S. policymakers have a duty to stand in resolute opposition to any effort by America’s adversaries that threatens our national and economic security,” Moolenaar and Rubio 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 that are currently weighing partnerships with CATL.”
Prior to the letter, the U.S. military had already taken steps to diminish ties with CATL, with the Marine Corps removing one of the company’s batteries from the energy storage system at its base Camp Lejeune in February, and the Navy vowing to only purchase American or allied-supplied batteries in April, according to Reuters and military news website Military.com.
However, the company remains active in American industry, providing technology for a Ford battery manufacturing facility in Michigan and developing a battery energy storage system in Texas, according to the letter.
CATL battery company has deep ties to Communist China. Our country shouldn't install these batteries anywhere in our nation because of the national security threat it poses.
With @RepMoolenaar, urged @DeptofDefense to blacklist CATL.https://t.co/FE1XuHmFQu
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) August 28, 2024
Beyond receiving subsidies and procurement contracts, the letter argues CATL is tied to the CCP via its formal partnership with China Mobile, a Chinese telecommunications company that became the subject of a federal government investigation in June for allegedly providing American data to Beijing, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the letter claims CATL’s founder and top shareholder Zeng Yuqun is a “ardent” supporter of the CCP and is a graduate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “state-directed entity closely tied to the PLA and the MCF [Military-Civil Fusion] ecosystem.”
“CATL’s extensive connections to the PLA and the CCP’s MCF strategy demonstrate that this company fits the criteria for inclusion on the Section 1260H List,” the letter states. “We expect that the DoD will act quickly to add CATL to this list and diligently enforce measures to prevent the U.S. military from any further exposure to CATL systems.”
CATL and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Owen Klinsky is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
