U.S. designates BYD, Alibaba and Baidu as ‘military companies’
The United States Department of Defense has added several major Chinese technology and industrial firms to its list of entities designated as "Chinese military companies", according to a notice scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on June 10, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The updated list was issued under Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act, which requires the Pentagon to identify and publish companies determined to have ties to China's military or military-civil fusion programs.
Among the newly designated firms are electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, search engine operator Baidu, battery maker CATL, telecommunications company Huawei, drone manufacturer DJI, internet company Tencent, and lidar producer Hesai, along with dozens of other Chinese businesses.
In the notice, the Pentagon states that BYD is directly and indirectly affiliated with China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) and indirectly affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The department also identifies BYD as a contributor to China's military-civil fusion strategy.
The Pentagon said Alibaba and Baidu were designated because of their affiliations with Chinese state entities and what the department described as their contributions to China's military-civil fusion efforts.
The Pentagon also announced the removal of 10 entities from the previous version of the list published in January 2025. Those removed include Anhui Sun Create Electronics Co., China International Information Services Ltd., China National Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd., China Traffic Construction USA, Inc., CNOOC China Limited and several other companies.
Companies included on the list may request reconsideration by submitting evidence and arguments to the Department of Defense demonstrating that the basis for their designation is insufficient or no longer applies.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that China called on the USA to guarantee rights of Chinese media workers.
