In response to the recent expansion of the so-called “Chinese Military Companies List” by the United States, China has swiftly taken countermeasures.
On June 22, the Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement, adding 10 U.S. entities to the export control list. The announcement states that, in accordance with the “Export Control Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items” and other relevant laws and regulations, and to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation, it has been decided to add 10 U.S. entities, including Aveox, Inc., to the export control list and take the following measures:
1. Export operators are prohibited from exporting dual-use items to the aforementioned 10 entities. Organizations and individuals from any country or region are prohibited from transferring or providing dual-use items originating from China to the aforementioned entities. Relevant export activities currently underway must be immediately halted.
2. Under special circumstances where export is indeed necessary, the export operator shall submit an application to the Ministry of Commerce.
The announcement takes effect from the date of its publication.
The 10 U.S. entities are: Aveox, Inc., Red Cat Holdings, Inc., Teal Drones, Inc., IMSAR, LLC, Jaia Robotics, Inc., Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Oshkosh Defense, LLC, L3Harris Maritime Services, Inc., MP Materials Corp., and USA Rare Earth, Inc.
It is noteworthy that this list includes several companies related to maritime technology, autonomous systems, and maritime surveillance.
Among them, L3Harris Maritime Services has long been engaged in maritime systems and naval technology businesses, providing engineering, logistics support, and system integration services to the U.S. military, government agencies, and international defense partners. Its business covers areas such as full lifecycle ship support, Hull, Mechanical & Electrical (HM&E) systems, maritime communication systems, and special maritime engineering solutions.
Another company on the list, Jaia Robotics, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Rhode Island, USA, focuses on the development of miniature, low-cost modular Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Unmanned Surface Vessels, aiming to reduce the cost of data collection in marine and freshwater environments.
IMSAR is a high-tech enterprise based in Utah, USA, renowned for developing high-performance, low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems. Although its products are primarily used in UAV and aerial reconnaissance fields, the related technologies are also widely applied in scenarios such as maritime surveillance, maritime security, and target detection.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated that to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation, in response to the U.S. government’s egregious practice of expanding the so-called “Chinese Military Companies List,” China has decided, based on relevant laws and regulations, to add the aforementioned 10 U.S. military-related entities to the export control list, prohibiting the export of dual-use items to them. No export operator shall violate these regulations.
On the same day, the Ministry of Finance also issued a notice, taking relevant measures against 46 U.S. companies in government procurement activities. The notice clarifies that procuring entities shall not purchase products produced by these 46 U.S. companies (excluding U.S.-funded enterprises in China) during government procurement activities.
Among these 46 companies, several maritime enterprises are also involved, including Oceaneering International, Saronic Technologies, Maritime Tactical Systems, and BAE Systems, Inc.
Among them, Oceaneering International, founded in 1969, is a globally renowned marine engineering service company. Its business covers areas such as subsea robotics, offshore oil and gas engineering, defense, and aerospace technology. Its subsea robotics business has long held a leading position in the industry.
Saronic Technologies is a rapidly emerging Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) company in the United States in recent years. Founded in 2022 by former U.S. Navy SEAL Dino Mavrookas, it focuses on the development of autonomous unmanned vessels, primarily targeting the U.S. Navy and its allies’ markets.
Maritime Tactical Systems is a global leader in Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) innovation, long engaged in the R&D and manufacturing of USV systems, providing intelligent unmanned vessel solutions to military, security agencies, and scientific research institutions.
Furthermore, BAE Systems, as the U.S. subsidiary of the UK’s BAE Systems group, operates multiple shipyards on the East and West Coasts of the United States, providing ship and submarine construction, modernization, ship repair, and overhaul services to the U.S. Navy and commercial clients.
The background for China’s introduction of these measures is the recent further expansion of the so-called “Chinese Military Companies List” by the U.S. Department of Defense. On June 8, the U.S. Department of Defense published a new version of the “Chinese Military Companies” list via the Federal Register, expanding the number of companies on the list from 134 last year to 188. Chinese tech companies, new energy vehicle manufacturers, and biotechnology companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, NIO, WuXi AppTec, Unitree Technology, and RoboSense were included, as were ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), which had previously been removed.
In response, companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, and WuXi AppTec have publicly stated that they have not participated in any civil-military integration projects and do not belong to Chinese military companies.
