DOE Should Stop Funding Research With Restricted Chinese Firms, Congressional Report Says
The House Select Committee on China and the House and Senate Intelligence committees said in a report released Dec. 17 that many Energy Department-funded research projects have been conducted with Chinese entities the U.S. government has placed on restricted lists for their ties to China’s military or role in human rights abuses.
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"This investigation reveals a deeply alarming problem: The Department of Energy failed to ensure the security of its research and it put American taxpayers on the hook for funding the military rise of our nation's foremost adversary," China Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said.
An example of concerning DOE-backed projects is a 2023 publication on electronic conductivity research co-authored by China Electronic Technology Group (CETC), which "serves as a central pillar of [China's] defense electronics and information warfare sector," the report says. CETC was added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's Non-SDN Communist Chinese Military Companies List in 2020 and the Defense Department's 1260H List of Chinese military companies in FY 2021.
Another example is a 2023 publication on genome editing research co-authored by BGI Group, which the Bureau of Industry and Security added to its Entity List in 2020 for its role in enabling the surveillance and repression of ethnic minorities in China, including genetic surveillance of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, the report says. BGI is also on the 1260H List.
The report also cites a 2025 publication on ion-battery research that was co-authored by Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL) even though CATL is on the 1260H List and the Department of Homeland Security's Uyghur Forced Labor Entity List. Those listings recognized CATL "as both a military-linked enterprise and a beneficiary of forced labor within China’s battery and critical minerals supply chain," the report says.
The report urges DOE to start treating listed entities as “prohibited” ones and stop funding research collaboration with them. DOE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The China Select Committee released a similar report in September on DOD-funded research with U.S.-restricted Chinese firms (see 2509080044).