China's Hesai to sue Pentagon after being reinstated to blacklist, FT reports (updated)

Hesai

24/10/2024 05:48

(Adds background from paragraph 3, quote in paragraph 5)
       Oct 24 (Reuters) - Chinese lidar manufacturer Hesai
 ZN80y.F  plans to sue the U.S. government after the Pentagon
reinstated the company on its blacklist of Chinese firms linked
to the military, Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing
co-founder David Li. 
    The company planned to challenge the Pentagon's decision in
court, he told the newspaper.
    Being placed on the list represents a warning to U.S.
entities and companies about the national security risks of
conducting business with them.
    The U.S. Defense department removed Hesai from the list of
companies allegedly working with Beijing's military, but
immediately decided to re-list the firm in a court filing and
two letters sent to Congress earlier this month.
    "We are not a military company, we don't contribute to or
have any connection with the Chinese military or military body,"
Li told the FT. "We operate independently, free of government
control or military involvement," he added.
    Hesai and the U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately
respond to Reuters' requests for comment.  
    Hesai, whose lidars help self-driving cars and
driver-assistance systems gain a three-dimensional map of the
road, was added to the list by the U.S. Department of Defense in
January along with over a dozen other companies.
    Last week, China-based drone maker DJI sued the U.S. Defense
Department for adding it to a list of companies allegedly
working with Beijing's military.
    

 (Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane
Venkatraman and Sonia Cheema)
 ((Bipasha.Dey@thomsonreuters.com;))