China’s Hesai to press on with US lawsuit after being reinstated on blacklist

(Reuters) -Hesai Group on Thursday said it plans to continue its legal process against the U.S. after the Pentagon reinstated the lidar manufacturer on its blacklist of Chinese firms allegedly working with Beijing’s military.

The U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing last week that the Pentagon removed Hesai from the blacklist, but planned to relist the Chinese company “based on the latest information available.”

Hesai, whose lidars help self-driving cars and driver-assistance systems gain a three-dimensional map of the road, was added to the list by the U.S. Department of Defense in January along with more than a dozen other firms. The company sued the U.S. government in May after it was added to the blacklist.

Hesai’s products are “strictly for commercial and civilian use” and it has no connection “to the Chinese military or any other military body,” the company told Reuters in an emailed statement. The lawsuit was a continuation of the ongoing legal process and the company will continue the proceedings to “correct these mistakes”, it added.

The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment.

Being placed on the so-called 1260Hlist represents a warning to U.S. entities and companies about the national security risks of conducting business with them.

The Financial Times first reported the news on Thursday.

Last week, Chinese drone maker DJI sued the U.S. Defense Department for adding it to a list of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military.