(NewsWorthy.news) – A report published by The Daily Caller has revealed that Chinese military companies have spent more than $24 million on lobbying the White House since 2020.
The published list includes the names of companies considered major threats to security, such as telecom giant Huawei and facial recognition firm Megvii. Megvii has previously worked on a facial recognition system for Huawei that was able to identify members of the oppressed Uyghur community in a crowd. The Genomics company BGI Shenzhen also made the list.
The Department of Defense’s list of Chinese military companies includes companies controlled, “beneficially owned” or “directly or indirectly owned” by China’s military. It also applies to any companies found by the DoD to have made “military-civil” fusion contributions to China’s defense industry. Such companies include those who knowingly work together with the Chinese Communist Party to develop military technology as well as those contracted by China’s government to produce munitions.
The Daily Caller’s report concluded that China’s military corporations had cast a “wide net” across American government by lobbying the Senate, House and several parts of the executive branch, including the president’s office. The companies reportedly focused on proposed policies that would affect their U.S. operations. When a document of unknown origin circulated on Capitol Hill identifying the PRC’s companies on U.S. entity lists, House Republicans proposed blocking meetings with lobbying firms linked to the Chinese military. Some Republicans have been calling for a blacklisting initiative that is also being discussed by Democrats.
President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure from both parties to take a tougher stance against Chinese influence, particularly regarding their connections with Russia and Iran. In March 2024, the White House warned that Beijing could face sanctions if it sends military or dual-purpose equipment to assist Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine. In April 2024 Biden sent firm warnings to both China and Iran against attacking America’s allies. The president is now in the difficult position of potentially antagonizing China by responding to Iran’s aerial bombardment of Israel, which was successfully intercepted.
Huawei was the largest spender on lobbyists in Washington. The company has been fighting against U.S. legislation, was placed on the Entity List and saw the importing and selling of its products banned under former President Donald Trump over security issues. Several concerns have been raised about the company’s close connection with state surveillance, and confidential documents revealed in 2021 that Huawei pitched prison surveillance technology to Chinese law enforcement.
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