US lawmakers to Pentagon: 'Ban' these technology companies for links to Chinese army; read full letter

Nine US lawmakers have sent a letter to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking a ‘ban’ on 17 Chinese companies. In the letter, the lawmakers urged Pentagon (now Department of War) to add these companies to its 1260H list over alleged links to the Chinese military. List of companies that the letter includes are Chinese AI firm DeepSeek; smartphone maker Xiaomi, 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 others.


In the letter, the lawmakers said that the firms “represent the next logical tranche of military-civil fusion contributors whose designation under Section 1260H would directly support Congress’s intent that US taxpayer funds not underwrite PRC military-industrial and internal-security or intelligence capabilities”.




The letter is signed by: John Moolenaar, Chairman, Select Committee on China; Rick Scott, Chairman, Senate Special Committee on Aging; Eric A. “Rick” Crawford, Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Andrew R. Garbarino, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security; Rob Wittman, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee, Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee; Bill Huizenga, Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, South & Central Asia Subcommittee; Dusty Johnson, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Subcommittee; Darin LaHood, Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Subcommittee on NSA and Cyber; Andy Ogles, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee.

What is Pentagon’s 1260H list

Pentagon’s 1260H list is a US Department of Defense roster of Chinese military-linked companies that are believed to support China’s defence or intelligence activities. It is required under Section 1260H of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.


Companies on the list face increased scrutiny, restrictions on US government contracts, and potential sanctions. The list is used to warn US entities against doing business with firms tied to China’s military–civil fusion strategy.

Letter signed by 9 US lawmakers seeking to ban DeepSeek, Xiaomi and other Chinese firms

The letter, dated December 18, 2025 reads:


Dear Secretary Hegseth:


We write to urge you to expand the Department’s list of Chinese military companies maintained pursuant to Section 1260H of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to include a set of Chinese firms that support “military-civil fusion” (MCF) and advance People’s Liberation Army (PLA) capabilities across various sectors, including: biotechnology and life sciences; sensing, surveillance, and robotics; consumer smart devices; large-scale AI models; displays and imaging; semiconductors and manufacturing equipment; and power batteries and energy storage.


We applaud recent actions taken by the Department, including the addition of Tencent to the

1260H list in January 2025 as well as reports that an October 7 letter from Deputy Secretary of

War Stephen Feinberg informed the Armed Services Committees that Alibaba, Baidu, and BYD

should be added to the list of companies that aid the PRC’s military.


The firms listed below represent military-civil fusion contributors central to PLA modernization,

internal-security operations, and power-projection capabilities. Their designation under Section

1260H would directly support Congress’ intent that U.S. taxpayer funds not underwrite PRC

military-industrial and internal-security or intelligence capabilities.