This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) joined with House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) to request that the Pentagon add Deepseek, Gotion, Unitree, Wuxi, and 13 other companies to its list of Chinese military companies. This action would designate these entities under Section 1260H and signal that they work with the Chinese military. The Department of Defense would then be discouraged from contracting with them.
In their letter to the Pentagon, the members stated: “We applaud recent actions taken by the Department, including the addition of Tencent to the 1260H list in January, 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 the next logical tranche of military-civil fusion contributors whose designation under Section 1260H would directly support Congress’s intent that U.S. taxpayer funds not underwrite PRC military-industrial and internal-security or intelligence capabilities.”
Additional signatories include Chairman Rob Wittman from the House Armed Services Committee's Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee; Chairman Bill Huizenga from Foreign Affairs' South and Central Asia Subcommittee; Chairman Dusty Johnson from Agriculture's Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Subcommittee; Chairman Darin LaHood from Intelligence's NSA and Cyber Subcommittee; and Chairman Andy Ogles from Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee.
DeepSeek is highlighted for its connections to China's defense sector. A senior State Department official told Reuters that DeepSeek has provided support to China's military operations. The company reportedly appears in over 150 procurement records for China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and related entities within China's defense industry base. Despite U.S. restrictions on advanced chips, DeepSeek has continued access to Nvidia GPUs by using shell companies in Southeast Asia.
Gotion High-Tech is noted for a partnership with China Aerospace Wanyuan International in 2016 focused on power-battery research for both civilian and military applications. Gotion’s management has included individuals with ties to China’s PLA such as Fang Jianhua—a former PLA officer who served as a board-level manager.
Unitree Robotics is mentioned due to its technology being used during joint exercises between Chinese and Cambodian forces in 2024 where rifle-equipped robot dogs operated alongside infantry units in urban assault drills.
WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics, and WuXi XDC have management committee members affiliated with PLA medical institutes. These firms have received investment through funds designed specifically for supporting China’s military production sector.
Other companies identified include GenScript Group, Tiandy Technologies, Livox, LeiShen, Robosense, CloudMinds, Hui Si Kaiwu, Xiaomi Corporation, BOE Technology Group, Tianma Microelectronics, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Shennan Circuit Company Limited, and Kingsemi Company Limited.
