US Blacklists Alibaba, Baidu, BYD

The United States — United States Department of Defense has significantly expanded its list of Chinese military companies, adding prominent firms such as Alibaba Group, Baidu, and EITC. This updated list, which now includes 188 entities, supersedes a previous version and reinstates memory chipmakers Yangtze Memory Technologies and Yangtze Memory Technologies, which were briefly removed. Other additions include biotech firm WuXi AppTec, robotics companies Unitree Robotics and RoboSense, and electric vehicle maker Nio. The designation, while not imposing immediate formal sanctions, bars future Defense Department contracts and raises scrutiny, potentially leading to delisting from US exchanges and other restrictions. China, through its embassy and foreign ministry, strongly condemned the move, accusing the US of overstretching national security concepts and unfairly suppressing Chinese companies. Several listed companies, including Alibaba Group, Baidu, EITC, and WuXi AppTec, have denied military ties and announced intentions to challenge their inclusion through legal and administrative means. The action comes despite recent efforts by US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to maintain a fragile trade truce, indicating a continued hardline stance by Washington on technology and strategic competition with Beijing.