China's Ningde Shidai (CATL), the world's largest battery manufacturer, has directly refuted the US security threat claims surrounding its products. It explained that the products exported to the US are passive products without communication equipment, making remote access or control impossible and thus not affecting security.
According to China's state-run Global Times (GT) on the 29th, CATL stated, "CATL's battery products do not pose a threat to US national security," calling the claims by some Republican lawmakers baseless accusations.
Earlier, Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Representative John Moolena sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging that CATL be blacklisted. They also argued that it is necessary to send a signal to US companies considering partnerships with CATL.
The lawmakers pointed out that investors linked to the Communist Party hold shares in CATL, and warned that excessive dependence on CATL in the battery supply chain could pose a threat to energy security.
The company responded, "CATL battery products have supported millions of American households and small businesses experiencing power outages caused by natural disasters, extreme weather, and grid instability," adding, "The battery products CATL sells in the US market are passive, without communication hardware or software capable of remote access or control."
It further emphasized, "CATL is not directly competing with US companies and supports US companies to produce reliable and competitively priced products through close cooperation with local partners."
He Weiyuan, a senior researcher at the China Center for Globalization, stated, "Many US politicians repeatedly claim 'security threats' to crack down on Chinese high-tech companies with a Cold War mindset," stressing, "Baseless accusations will harm normal China-US economic and trade cooperation and negatively affect the welfare of ordinary Americans."
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