Congressional Republicans Monday criticized the pending acquisition of bankrupt Waltham battery-maker A123 Systems Inc. by a Chinese company, arguing that the deal shows how the Obama administration gambled millions in taxpayer dollars to bolster clean-energy technology that is now in Chinese hands.

Wanxiang America Corp., the North American arm of China’s largest auto parts maker, recently won the court-led auction for nearly all the assets of A123, which filed for bankruptcy protection in October, despite receiving tens of millions in federal and state money. Wanxiang’s $256.6 million purchase awaits approvals from a US bankruptcy judge and a federal committee on foreign investment chaired by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.