- विज्ञापन -
Washington: The US House of Representatives has passed two bills targeting China, aimed at reducing dependence on Chinese-made batteries. These bills prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from purchasing batteries produced by Chinese companies and create a working group within the department to monitor and address potential threats from China, according to Voice of America (VOA).
On March 10, the House passed the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act (HR1166) through a voice vote, utilizing a suspension of House rules—a procedure that expedites non-controversial bills with bipartisan backing. The bill, introduced by Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez, seeks to prohibit the DHS from purchasing batteries from six Chinese companies, including Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., BYD Co., Envision Energy Co., EVE Energy Co., Haichen Energy Storage Technology Co., and Guoxuan High-tech Power Energy Co.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez stated, “As China strives to dominate key global industries, the US must lead the effort to decouple from the CCP. With increasing reliance on battery technology, it’s critical that we source these batteries from countries that are not hostile.”
Democratic Representative Chris Craia of California added, “This bill will strengthen our industrial base in America and prevent the Chinese Communist Party from jeopardizing our national security.”
VOA reported that China’s dominance in electric vehicle development and battery production has created geopolitical tensions with the US. China manufactures around 80% of the world’s batteries, including 75% of lithium-ion batteries, which has made global automakers highly reliant on Chinese suppliers. Despite high costs, US lawmakers continue pushing for policies to reduce reliance on China for electric vehicle batteries.
The bills are now awaiting consideration in the Senate.
