DOD Deletes, Adds Hesai Back to Chinese Military Company List

The Pentagon removed China-based Hesai Technology from its list of Chinese companies that it said have ties to that country’s military but immediately relisted the firm, according to a pair of Federal Register notices published this week.

Hesai, the largest Chinese lidar company by sales, sued the agency over the listing in May. In an Oct. 16 filing in that case, the Defense Department said it planned to delist Hesai “on the basis of the original listing” and add the company back to the list “based on the latest information available after determining that Hesai continues to meet the requirements for inclusion.”

Hesai earlier this year argued that it was added to Pentagon’s 1260H List “without any explanation or justification,” calling the move “meritless” (see 2402080030 and 2408130022). Companies on the list aren’t subject to export controls or sanctions, although they do face government contract restrictions.