U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pentagon to Add DeepSeek and Xiaomi to List of Chinese Military-Linked Companies

Nine Republican members of the U.S. Congress have co-signed a letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, urging the Pentagon to add Chinese tech firms—including AI startup DeepSeek, smartphone maker Xiaomi Corporation, and display panel manufacturer BOE Technology Group—to the list of Chinese military-linked companies.

According to Reuters, the lawmakers sent the letter to Hegseth on Thursday, December 18—the same day President Donald Trump signed into law a $1 trillion defense bill. Chinese companies already on the list include tech giant Tencent Holdings and CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker.

In a statement, Xiaomi said the move to include it on the list is baseless. “Xiaomi is not a Chinese military enterprise and has no affiliation whatsoever with Chinese military entities. The company has been, and remains, a consumer products business that provides only civilian and commercial products and services,” the statement read.

In June, Reuters cited a senior U.S. official as reporting that DeepSeek had assisted the Chinese military in circumventing U.S. export controls. The lawmakers also urged the Pentagon to remove BOE—a supplier to Apple Inc.—from the U.S. supply chain by 2030.