Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official Website
Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, raising concerns about Nvidia products being used by DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence company backed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and subsequently procured by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
In his letter, Moolenaar cites documents provided to the committee that show Nvidia offered technical support for an AI model now integrated into PLA systems. He emphasizes the importance of ensuring that exported chips are not used to strengthen China’s military capabilities.
"While NVIDIA asserts its relationship with DeepSeek is 'to promote the [AI] ecosystem flywheel and improve NVIDIA’s products,' documents produced to the Committee reveal NVIDIA provided extensive technical support that enabled DeepSeek —now integrated into People’s Liberation Army (PLA) systems and a demonstrated cyber security risk—to achieve frontier AI capabilities. These findings demonstrate why rigorous enforcement of the Department’s H200 export rule, which requires certification that chips will not serve military purposes, is essential—even if such enforcement effectively prevents H200 exports to the PRC altogether," Moolenaar wrote.
He continued: "As the Committee detailed in its April 2025 report, DeepSeek is not a typical commercial AI system: it routes Americans’ data back to the PRC through infrastructure tied to a U.S.-designated Chinese military company, manipulates outputs to comply with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda and censorship mandates, steals intellectual property from frontier U.S. AI firms, and runs on advanced NVIDIA chips restricted from export to China."
The letter concludes with two recommendations aimed at strengthening U.S. national security: clarifying restrictions on H200 chip exports so prohibited end users cannot gain access similar to what occurred with DeepSeek; and imposing tighter controls on AI models developed by companies based in China such as DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Tencent when these models are used in the United States.
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for analyzing economic and security challenges related to competition with China. The committee formulates policy ideas addressing technology rivalry, supply chain stability, and national security threats by holding sessions and issuing documents. More information about their work can be found at their official website: https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/.
The committee also functions as a bipartisan group within the U.S. House of Representatives. It develops policy recommendations and proposes legislation intended to enhance U.S. competitiveness against challenges posed by China’s government.
A full copy of Chairman Moolenaar's letter is available online.
