Breaking News: CATL Added to the U.S. Department of Defense List

On January 6, local time, the U.S. Department of Defense published the latest version of the "Chinese Military-Related Companies" list (Communist Chinese Military Company, "CMC," formally referred to as the "Section 1260H List" under U.S. law) in the Federal Register. The updated list now includes several Chinese companies, such as Tencent Holdings, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), Changxin Storage, Quectel Wireless Solutions, and drone manufacturer Autel Robotics Co., Ltd. from Shenzhen, among others.

In response, Tencent Holdings stated in a release that “Tencent’s inclusion on this list is clearly a mistake. We are not a military enterprise or military supplier. Unlike export controls or other measures, this list does not affect our business. Nevertheless, we will work with the relevant U.S. authorities to resolve this misunderstanding.”

CATL responded by stating, “This is an error. The company has not been involved in any military-related activities.”

A spokesperson for Quectel Wireless Solutions commented that the company “does not cooperate with any military forces of any country and will request the Pentagon to reconsider its designation, as this is obviously a mistake.”

The U.S. Department of Defense also removed six Chinese companies from the CMC list, including:

• Megvii Technology Ltd.

• China Railway Construction Corporation Limited

• China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (China Shipbuilding)

• China State Construction Engineering Corporation

• China Telecom Corporation Limited

• Shenzhen Kesai Technology Co., Ltd.