Texas opens probe on CCP-linked tech firm
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into a company linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over potential violations of Texas law involving its use of products in a state power facility. The probe focuses on whether the involvement of Amperex Technology Co. ltd.-a CCP-affiliated firm-in Texas critical infrastructure breaches a state law prohibiting entities connected to the Chinese government from accessing such facilities, due to potential security risks to the state’s power grid.
Paxton characterized the CCP as a opposed actor and emphasized that it is illegal for CCP-aligned companies to gain backdoor access to Texas infrastructure. This investigation is part of broader efforts by Paxton to counter CCP influence in Texas, including previous actions against CCP-linked companies like TP-Link and Lorex Technology for security and privacy concerns. These initiatives align with the lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act passed in 2021, which restricts chinese-controlled businesses from accessing vital Texas infrastructure.
Paxton’s actions reflect a wider national push, originating during the Trump administration, to curb CCP-linked entities’ influence in critical American sectors. The issue also ties into concerns about the involvement of CCP-linked firms in U.S. nuclear technology and their lobbying efforts in Congress, highlighting ongoing national security challenges posed by chinese military-linked companies within the United states.
Paxton opens investigation into CCP-linked technology in Texas infrastructure
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday opened an investigation into a Chinese Communist Party-linked company over suspected violations of Texas law related to its involvement in a state power facility.
Paxton’s investigation came after he alleged the power storage station used several products made by Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.
The investigation will determine if the use of the company’s products violates a Texas law that bars actors from having access to critical state infrastructure, which Paxton said could pose a significant risk to Texas’s power grid.
“The CCP is a bad actor, and it is unlawful for aligned companies to meddle in our state in order to grant backdoor access to their handlers,” Paxton added.
This recent investigation adds to a list of efforts from Paxton to push back on the CCP’s inroads in Texas.
Prior to the order, Paxton targeted TP-Link, a major CCP-linked networking equipment manufacturer, and investigated the security camera company Lorex Technology for selling data-capturing cameras to the CCP.
Earlier this year, Paxton identified several Chinese companies that allegedly violated Texans’ data privacy rights in May.
The investigations follow the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, enacted by the state legislature in 2021, which prohibited businesses from entering into agreements that would grant a Chinese-controlled business direct or remote access to critical Texas infrastructure.
Paxton’s efforts to counter CCP-linked products that have made significant strides in the United States ties into a national push from President Donald Trump’s administration.
A previous Washington Examiner analysis of member roster sheets found that the Nuclear Energy Institute — the nation’s largest energy lobbying firm — has a relationship with Daya Bay Nuclear Power Operations and Management Company, or DNMC, a CCP linked nuclear company barred from the United States under Trump’s first administration over allegations of espionage and theft of U.S. nuclear technology for China’s military.
OPINION: DOES THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE INCLUDE A CHINESE-CONTROLLED NUCLEAR FIRM?
Likewise, the Department of War uncovered that Chinese military companies have spent over a million dollars to lobby Congress this year alone, allowing them to maintain their position in American markets.
“China exploits our open and democratic processes for their military advantage,” Michael Lucci, CEO of the national security organization State Armor, told the Washington Examiner. “DJI and Tencent are both blacklisted by DOD as Chinese Military Companies, yet they both continue buying influence through high-priced lobbyists to influence U.S. policymakers.”
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