Hesai Technology Plans to Challenge Inclusion on “Chinese Military Companies” List

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hesai Technology Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: HSAI) (“Hesai” or the “Company”) today responded to the Company’s inclusion on the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) list of “Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States.”

Yifan “David” Li, CEO of Hesai, stated, “DoD added Hesai to its list of “Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States” without any explanation or justification, and we intend to file a lawsuit challenging this action. We believe this inclusion is unjust, capricious, and meritless. Hesai is not a military company. Hesai products are for civilian use only and have never been designed or validated for military use. This baseless inclusion undermines fair competition and ultimately imperils Americans’ safety by delaying and impeding the adoption of technology that could otherwise reduce the number of vehicle accidents and save lives.”

“Our inclusion on this list follows a one-year media smear campaign based on unsubstantiated, baseless and false allegations about Hesai lidars’ potential involvement with military use and surveillance. Additionally, we faced an intensive lobbying effort on Capitol Hill against us, all orchestrated by lidar competitors with the aim of exploiting anti-China sentiment in the U.S. to handicap the undisputed market leader for unfair commercial advantage. Nonetheless, Hesai remains undaunted in our commitment to developing market-leading lidar technologies that reduce accidents, save lives, and make global transportation safer for everyone, and will defend its freedom to do so.”

About Hesai Technology

Hesai Technology (Nasdaq: HSAI) is a global leader in lidar solutions. The company's lidar products enable a broad spectrum of civilian applications, including passenger and commercial vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), autonomous driving vehicles, and robotic applications such as last-mile delivery robots and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Hesai seamlessly integrates its in-house manufacturing process with lidar R&D and design, enabling rapid product iteration while ensuring high performance, high quality, and affordability. Hesai has established offices in Shanghai, Palo Alto, and Stuttgart, with customers spanning over 40 countries.