The Pentagon has added Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, internet search provider Baidu, and automaker BYD to a list of companies allegedly aiding Beijing's military. The updated 1260H list, released Monday, includes a broad range of China's top technology firms, reflecting heightened US security concerns amid intense geopolitical competition.
This long-awaited revision supersedes a February 2025 version that was briefly posted then withdrawn. The new list also includes memory chipmakers CXMT and YMTC, alongside biotech firm WuXi AppTec, robotics companies RoboSense and Unitree. Notably, AI chipmaker Nvidia announced plans to collaborate with Unitree just days before the listing.
A staff member works near a Baidu logo at its office in Beijing, China on Mar 17, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Florence Lo)
The company logo is pictured during a tour at the Alibaba office in Beijing on Apr 1, 2026. (File photo: AFP/Wang Zhao)
Beijing has condemned the move, calling it discriminatory and urging the US to create a fair environment for Chinese companies. China's embassy in Washington reiterated that its firms comply with local laws.
Under recent US law, the Defense Department will be barred starting later this month from direct contracts with listed companies, with third-party purchases prohibited by 2027. This could impose material costs on the firms and their partners.
House China Select Committee Chair John Moolenaar called the list a warning to American businesses and citizens. WuXi AppTec denied the allegations, vowing to seek removal from the list.