Pentagon adds WuXi AppTec to list of ‘Chinese military companies’ but then removes it

The Office of the Secretary of Defense on Friday posted a list of Chinese companies determined to be either directly or indirectly owned by, controlled by, or acting on behalf of China’s military — including WuXi AppTec, a contract research, development, and manufacturing organization based in Shanghai, China. However, the notice was quickly taken down that same day and the link says the document was withdrawn. 

WuXi AppTec is “indirectly owned” by China’s State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), as well as “indirectly affiliated” with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), according to Friday’s notice, which was subsequently removed without explanation.

Based on a determination by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the notice said the companies listed in the supplementary information section of the document — including WuXi AppTec — satisfy the requirements to be designated as “Chinese military companies” engaged in providing commercial services, manufacturing, producing, or exporting.

The notice, which was scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Feb. 17, was meant to update the names of “Chinese military companies” operating in the U.S., in accordance with the statutory requirement of Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

“We have nothing to announce,” a duty officer at the Pentagon’s press operations said in an emailed statement in response to a query from Pharma Manufacturing about the withdrawn notice.

BIOSECURE Act implications

Had WuXi AppTec been given the designation of a Chinese military company and added to the 1260H list, it would have put the company “under the provenance” of the new BIOSECURE Act, according to a LinkedIn post by Gil Roth, president of the Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association (PBOA).

In December 2025, as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, President Donald Trump signed into law the BIOSECURE Act which limits U.S. government procurement from and grants to “biotechnology companies of concern” (BCC).

Under the BIOSECURE Act, a company is considered a BCC if it is included in the Department of Defense’s 1260H list of “Chinese military companies” operating in the U.S., and involved in manufacturing, distribution, provision, or procurement of biotechnology equipment or services, as determined by the Office of Management and Budget.

In previously proposed drafts of the BIOSECURE Act, WuXi AppTec — along with other Chinese companies — were named in the legislation for the purpose of barring them from U.S.-funded research and contracts. However, some members of Congress objected to naming specific China-based companies.

To address these objections, an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act declined to name the companies allegedly linked to China’s government and instead refers to entities included in the latest list of “Chinese military companies” maintained by the Department of Defense, which does not currently include WuXi AppTec.

Target remains on its back

Members of Congress continue to put pressure on WuXi AppTec. In December 2025, nine Republican congressional leaders wrote a letter to Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth asking him to add Wuxi AppTec — as well as other Chinese companies — to the 1260H list.

An April 2025 report to Congress from the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) called out WuXi AppTec as having “benefited greatly” from Chinese government support. The NSCEB report also cited 2024 survey results which found that 79% of U.S. biopharma companies depend on WuXi AppTec and other China-based firms for at least some component of their manufacturing.

With 38,000 employees and nearly $6 billion in revenue, the report said WuXi AppTec is “so entrenched in American biopharmaceutical supply chains that American firms estimate they would need at least eight years to develop alternative sources for its services.”