WASHINGTON:
The Pentagon unveiled a list of companies it says are owned or controlled by
China’s military, opening them to increased scrutiny in the latest spat between the world’s biggest economies.
The 20 companies included
Huawei Technologies and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, as well as a number of state-run enterprises. In letters to lawmakers dated June 24, the Pentagon said it was providing a list of “Communist Chinese military companies operating in the US,” which was first requested in the fiscal 1999 defence policy law.
This list includes “entities owned by, controlled by, or affiliated with China's government, military, or defense industry,” Pentagon spokesman
Jonathan Hoffman said. “We envision this list will be a useful tool for the US government, companies, investors, academic institutions, and like-minded partners to conduct due diligence with regard to partnerships with these entities, particularly as the list grows.”