Chinese battery maker CATL is facing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over its alleged ties to the Chinese government, with calls to add the company to a restricted list.
US lawmakers have urged the Defence Department to add Chinese battery maker CATL to a restricted list due to its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party and military. Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman John Moolenaar expressed concerns that CATL’s involvement in US energy infrastructure threatens national security, making the country overly reliant on Chinese technology.
CATL has firmly rejected the allegations, claiming its battery products are passive and do not endanger national security. The company labelled the accusations unfounded and inaccurate, emphasising that the Chinese government did not control them.
The push to restrict CATL comes as Ford Motor and other companies face scrutiny over their partnerships with the Chinese battery giant. Ford is licensing CATL technology for low-cost battery production at a Michigan facility, raising significant concerns among US lawmakers.
The effort to limit China‘s influence in American technology and infrastructure follows a broader move by the US Defence Department to add several Chinese companies to its restricted list. These include companies in industries such as AI and energy, reflecting growing tensions over Chinese involvement in key sectors.
Two top Republican lawmakers on Wednesday asked the US Defence Department to add Chinese battery maker CATL to a restricted list of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military.
Companies added to the list cannot receive US military contracts and being added to the list carries significant reputational risks, experts say.
Senator Marco Rubio, the vice-chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and congressman John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, asked Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to immediately place CATL – formally known as China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co – on the list saying “it would also send a powerful signal to US companies that are currently weighing partnerships with CATL”.
CATL said its battery products have helped millions of Americans during power cuts and are passive products “that pose no more of a threat to national security than a brick”. The company said the lawmakers’ letter “makes accusations that are factually inaccurate and completely groundless”, adding CATL “is not controlled by the Chinese government”.
The Pentagon did not immediately comment.
In February, under pressure from lawmakers, US utility company Duke Energy said it plans to decommission energy-storage batteries produced by CATL at one of the nation’s largest Marine Corps bases and will phase out CATL products at its civilian projects.
The lawmakers noted that Ford Motor is building a battery plant in Michigan and plans to license CATL technology to produce low-cost lithium-iron batteries at the facility. Lawmakers including Rubio have raised serious concerns about the plan.
In February, the Defence Department added more than a dozen Chinese companies to the list as part of a broader effort to keep American technology from aiding China.
The companies added in February include memory chip maker YMTC, artificial intelligence company Megvii, lidar maker Hesai Technology and tech company NetPosa. They joined previously listed aviation company AVIC, BGI Genomics Co, China Mobile energy company CNOOC and China Railway Construction Corp.
