Nine Republican lawmakers, including several congressional committee chairs, sent a letter this week urging US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to add more than a dozen Chinese technology firms to the Pentagon’s list of companies alleged to have links to the Chinese military.
While placement on the annually updated Pentagon list does not involve immediate bans, it sends a stark warning to US entities about the risks of conducting business with affected companies and could put pressure on other executive branch agencies and Congress to add more restrictions.
Other firms named by the lawmakers include battery maker Gotion High-Tech; chip companies Hua Hong Semiconductor, Kingsemi and Shennan Circuit; display and imaging companies BOE Technology Group and Tianma Microelectronics; sensing, surveillance and robotics firms CloudMinds, LeiShen, Livox, RoboSense, Tiandy Technologies, Unitree Robotics; and biotech firm GenScript Group.
The list, reflecting bipartisan concern that the US is contributing to firms fuelling China’s military rise, was last updated in January 2025. A 2021 defence authorisation act, similar to the one Trump signed this week, mandates that the 1260H list be updated every year until 2030.
