A key supplier of electronic components used in biometric passports across the UK and Europe is owned by a group linked to Chinese companies currently subject to U.S. export restrictions over national security concerns.

The French firm Linxens manufactures inlays—the embedded electronic parts that enable passports to communicate biometric data wirelessly. Linxens is held by a parent company established by investors led by Wise Road Capital and JAC Capital, two private equity firms based in Beijing. Both companies were added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List in 2024 due to their alleged involvement in assisting the Chinese government’s acquisition of sensitive semiconductor manufacturing technologies deemed critical to U.S. and allied defense sectors.

In the same year, the UK government invoked the National Security and Investment Act to compel JAC-led consortiums to divest stakes in a British chipmaker, Future Technology Devices International, underscoring heightened scrutiny of Chinese investment in sensitive technologies.

Liam Byrne, chair of the Commons Business Committee, expressed concerns that Linxens’ association with entities on the U.S. restricted list could jeopardize the security of critical national infrastructure.

Linxens, however, emphasized that its inlays are produced at a certified secure facility in Thailand, subject to continuous security audits by independent third parties. According to individuals familiar with the supply chain and reviewed documents, Linxens provides blank inlays—comprising a chip and an antenna—to Thales, the Home Office’s contracted passport provider. The chips themselves are manufactured by a separate company and personalised with passport holder data within the UK.

The Home Office has stated that Linxens’ components do not pose a security risk, affirming that all sensitive encryption technologies are strictly controlled by His Majesty’s Passport Office. The department also reassured that UK passports are personalised domestically, ensuring personal data does not leave the country.

Beyond the UK, Linxens maintains contracts with France’s Imprimerie Nationale for passport components and with the Czech Republic’s state printer for chip-based identity cards. Officials from the Czech printer have reported no identified security concerns, noting that the chips are supplied by a “trusted Dutch company” and that Linxens complied with all tender requirements. French authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

An industry insider familiar with Linxens highlighted the potential risk posed by the company’s detailed technical knowledge of identity documents and its access to chips during manufacturing, which creates a theoretical possibility for hardware tampering. Linxens countered this by stating it does not have access to the chips’ transport or personalisation keys and has recently introduced technology designed to detect tampering attempts.

Bin Li, founder of Wise Road, reportedly took the chair of Tsinghua Unigroup—Linxens’ ultimate parent company—in 2022. Wise Road and JAC were principal investors involved in forming the holding company that year.

Requests for comment from Thales, Tsinghua Unigroup, Bin Li, Wise Road, and JAC Capital went unanswered.