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The Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (SCCCP) John Moolenaar and US Senator Marco Rubio has demanded US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin to place China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) under list demanding more scrutiny.
The lawmakers in their letter to the Secretary have demanded CATL to be immediately placed on the list required under Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Section 1260H List provides transparency on Chinese military companies operating in the United States and helps Washington to counter the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) strategy. The SCCCP statement claimed that CATL squarely fits the requirements of 1260H as the list exposes a company that is involved in bolstering Beijing's military ambitions and contributing to MCF while continuously also operating in the United States. CATL is an electric vehicle battery company with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party and its armed wing, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The lawmakers emphasised that CATL is a key contributor to the PRC's military-civil fusion policy to enhance the capabilities of China's military. They further wanted that reliance on CATL batteries endangers US national security by making the country dependent on the CCP for energy infrastructure and supporting a company that backs military systems that could target American troops in future conflicts. The statement further added that the US Congress has repeatedly exposed the company's nefarious activities in the United States and claimed that CATL's placement on the Section 1260H List is long overdue and justified. "CATL's connections to the CCP, and its armed wing, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), are extensive and obvious. A Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) report quoted in the SCCCP report revealed that CATL has over time enjoyed "subsidies, tax incentives, favourable procurement deals, and additional policy benefits." These benefits propelled CATL toward its massive 37.5 per cent share of the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market, which the company boasted about on X just last month," the statement read. "CATL's central role in the CCP's MCF strategy is further illuminated by the company's close alignment and partnership with several companies already included on the Section 1260H List. For example, in December 2023, CATL announced a formal partnership with China Mobile, a company identified as a Chinese military company by the DoD," the SCCCP added. (ANI)
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