A number of Hong Kong-listed entities on Tuesday pushed back on the U.S. Department of Defense's decision to include their names in the Chinese military companies list.

Among those listed, Alibaba (HKG:9988), Baidu (HKG:9888), and Nio (HKG:9866) said there was no basis or justification for their inclusion on the list.

Each of the companies said that they were neither a Chinese military company nor a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base.

All three went on to say the designation would not impact their business.

For its part, the U.S. Department of Defense said the companies were designated under Section 1260H, which requires the agency to identify entities it deems linked to China's military or supporting military-civil fusion efforts.

While the designation carries limited immediate legal consequences, the Pentagon has increasingly used the list to restrict companies' access to U.S. military contracts and research funding, Bloomberg previously reported.

A 1260H designation is also reportedly viewed as a warning to U.S. investors and can precede tougher trade or regulatory restrictions.