Pentagon adds Alibaba, BYD and Baidu to expanded list of Chinese military companies

Beyond the headline names, the new list covers a wide swath of China's technology and clean-energy supply chains. Electric-vehicle maker NIO was added alongside BYD, a dominant force in the global EV market, and solar manufacturers JA Solar and Trina Solar. Robotics company Unitree, whose dancing robots appeared on NBC's 'America's Got Talent' and impressed Simon Cowell, was also included, as were networking equipment maker TP-Link, drone giant DJI — already a previous entrant — and internet firm Baidu, which has expanded into artificial intelligence and self-driving taxis.

Scope of the new additions

In justifying the designations, the Pentagon said Alibaba helps boost China's defense industrial base because of its affiliation with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the same ministry the Pentagon cited for BYD and Baidu. The ministry oversees China's technology and industrial policies. The Pentagon said Unitree 'knowingly received assistance' from the Chinese government through its designation as a small or medium-sized company that is highly innovative, globally competitive and critical to the country's supply chain.

Inclusion on the list does not amount to a blanket ban. Companies can still do business in the United States, but they are barred from receiving U.S. defense contracts and could face additional restrictions. The blacklist has been described as a tool in Washington's campaign to limit China's access to American capital, technology and government contracts.

Pushback from companies and Beijing

Several of the newly listed companies pushed back. Alibaba, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and owns the South China Morning Post, said in a statement: 'Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy.' Baidu called the suggestion that it is a military company 'entirely baseless.' BYD and Unitree did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the United States of 'overstretching the concept of national security and making discriminatory lists to go after Chinese companies,' and said Chinese companies observe the laws and regulations of the countries where they do business. The embassy added: 'The U.S. should stop its wrong practice and create a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies.'

Political pressure at home and abroad

The reaction on Capitol Hill was sharper. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party called the list 'a warning to American businesses, all levels of government, and the American people,' and said companies on the list that trade publicly on U.S. exchanges should be delisted and that no American company should do business with them. Separately, a number of U.S. lawmakers have said they will seek a ban on Chinese electric vehicles.

The latest move adds to a complicated picture for the Trump administration. President Donald Trump said in January that he would welcome Chinese carmakers such as BYD if they built plants in the United States and hired American workers — a stance that sits uneasily with the new designation of BYD as a Chinese military company.

The Pentagon also removed 10 entities from the previous version of the list, which was issued in January 2025. Those removed include COSCO Shipping Finance, Costar Group, GLARUN Technology, Taiji Computer, China International Information Services, China National Chemical Engineering, China Traffic Construction USA and two subsidiaries of state-owned energy giant CNOOC.