A measure in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approved by key U.S. Congressional committees in July 2025, proposes that the Pentagon investigate whether BOE Technology Group Co., one of Apple’s display suppliers, should be listed as a Chinese military company. If passed, the NDAA, considered a “must-pass” bill due to its role in funding the U.S. military, could lead to BOE’s inclusion on the Department of Defense’s 1260H blacklist. This designation would not immediately block BOE from U.S. business but would, in future years, exclude it from the U.S. military’s supply chain. The amendment, introduced by the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, reflects concerns about BOE’s alleged ties to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including its origins as a military supplier and operations in China’s military-civil fusion zones.
This follows a September 2024 letter from Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, highlighting BOE and Tianma Microelectronics as potential security risks due to state subsidies and PLA connections. If BOE is blacklisted, Apple may need to shift to alternative suppliers like Samsung Display or LG Display, which already provide most of its panels. The NDAA is expected to become law later in 2025.