© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top Republicans and Democrats on the U.S. House China committee on Thursday asked the Biden administration to consider adding China's Quectel Wireless to a list of Chinese military companies.
Listing by the Pentagon and Treasury Department would prevent U.S. entities from buying or selling publicly traded securities in the targeted companies.
Reps. Mike Gallagher, the committee chairman, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat, previously raised security concerns about Quectel and another Chinese company, saying American medical equipment, vehicles and farm equipment could be accessed and controlled remotely from China. if they use Chinese devices. Manufactured cellular modules.
A U.S. representative for Quectel had no immediate comment. The Treasury declined to comment.
The letter released Thursday said Quectel is the world's largest supplier of “Internet of Things” cellular modules “and is currently gaining market share in the US.” He added that there is “significant evidence to suggest that Quectel can contribute to China's defense industrial base.” .
In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order prohibiting US entities from investing in dozens of Chinese companies with alleged ties to defense or surveillance technology sectors.
The designation applied in 2021 to some 59 companies replaced a previous list.
Major Chinese companies included in the Department of Defense's previous list were also included in the updated list in 2021, including Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), China Mobile (NYSE Communications Group, China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC (NYSE ) ), Hangzhou Hikvision Digital technology Co, Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp
In September, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel asked U.S. government agencies to consider declaring that Quectel and Fibocom Wireless pose unacceptable risks to national security.
