China slams US for blacklisting key tech firms over military ties
China expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” regarding the recent decision by the US to include several major Chinese companies on the Pentagon’s list of entities it claims are supporting China’s military, as stated by the commerce ministry on Saturday. The foreign ministry has conveyed its apprehension regarding the US Defence Department’s long-anticipated update to its list on Monday, which featured prominent technology entities such as Alibaba, the internet search provider Baidu, and automakers BYD and NIO.
It subsequently included the leading solar panel manufacturers globally: Trina Solar and JA Solar Technology. The list encompasses a wide range of leading technology companies in China that are essential for enhancing Beijing’s military and industrial capabilities, highlighting Washington’s security apprehensions in the context of escalating geopolitical rivalry between the nations. “China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposes this,” the commerce ministry said in a statement. “China urges the US to immediately stop its erroneous practices, immediately withdraw relevant measures and return to the correct track of building a constructive strategic and stable China-US relationship.”
If Chinese firms are not treated fairly, it stated, Beijing will “inevitably retaliate resolutely and forcefully”. The Pentagon update replaces a list from early 2025 and follows a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing, where they upheld a fragile truce in the ongoing trade conflict. The ministry statement indicated that the Pentagon’s action “ignored the consensus” established between the two leaders. Under US law, the Defence Department will be barred from contracting directly with companies on the list and will face restrictions on purchasing their products or services through third parties starting in 2027.
