Chinese lidar maker Hesai loses lawsuit against US government for blacklisting

Hesai, the world’s largest maker of automotive lidar sensors, was added to the Pentagon’s blacklist last year

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In its US lawsuit, Hesai Group asserts that its products are “strictly for commercial and civilian use”. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:21am, 12 Jul 2025

A United States court has ruled against China-based Hesai Group in the lidar sensor manufacturer’s lawsuit against the US government for adding it to a blacklist of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military.

The US District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday ruled that the US Defence Department’s finding that Hesai contributes “to the Chinese defence industrial base” is supported by substantial evidence reflecting lidar’s military application, national security concerns around Chinese lidar makers and Hesai’s cooperation with Chinese agencies.

Hesai, whose lidar sensors help self-driving cars and driver-assistance systems gain a three-dimensional map of the road, was added to the list early last year, along with over a dozen other companies.

Hesai makes lidar – for light-detection and ranging – sensors used in self-driving cars and driver-assistance systems. Photo: Handout

The company challenged the designation and has said its has no connection “to the Chinese military or any other military body”, and its products are “strictly for commercial and civilian use”.

The court, however, ruled that an entity contributes “to the Chinese defence industrial base” if it produces a technology that has substantial military application, even if the product has commercial uses and is not directly supplied or used by the Chinese military.

The defence department and Hesai did not respond to requests for comment.

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