This week, Congressmen Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) and 19 other Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party requested a formal investigation into all Chinese Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) companies.

LiDAR is a critical technology used in drones but does not currently fall under U.S. export controls or government procurement restrictions. The request, sent to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, aims to determine if the actions of these companies justify inclusion on the Defense Department’s Chinese Military Companies List, Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List, and Treasury’s Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List.

“The Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten the United States and our allies. As its economy suffers, the Chinese government and military are increasingly likely to lash out and pull the free world into a war,”  Rep. Luetkemeyer said. “We must diligently review the role and threat Chinese companies represent and prevent U.S. dollars from aiding our enemy.”

Background: Until 2018, U.S. businesses dominated the global LiDAR market, but Chinese companies are advancing quickly due to the support of CCP industrial policies, including tariffs and subsidies. China has also benefited from access to the U.S. capital markets and technology through investments in and acquisitions of American LiDAR businesses, combined with intellectual property theft.