Asia Tech Wire (Aug 13) -- The U.S. Defense Department has decided to remove Chinese LiDAR maker Hesai (HSAI:NASDAQ) from its blacklist of Chinese military-affiliated companies, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing sources.

The U.S. military previously ruled that the world's largest maker of laser sensors for electric vehicles did not meet the statutory criteria for blacklisting.

Hesai filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon in May after the U.S. Department of Defense placed it on the list in January, saying there was no evidence that the company had any ties to the Chinese military.

In response, the Pentagon said it could not comment on the Hesai case because the lawsuit is still ongoing.

In 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense also removed Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi from its blacklist after a court ruled that the evidence was insufficient to support Xiaomi's inclusion.