By Tracy Qu and Jiahui Huang
Chinese companies including Alibaba and Baidu pushed back against their inclusion on a Pentagon list of firms alleged to have ties to China's military, a designation that restricts how they operate in the U.S.
The Pentagon on Monday updated its list of Chinese companies it says support Beijing's military. The updated list includes dozens of technology, robotics and biotechechnology firms, including Unitree, NIO, BYD, CALB and EVE Energy.
Alibaba said there was no basis for its inclusion on the list.
"Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy. We will take all available legal action against attempts to misrepresent our company," a company spokesperson said.
Baidu said it "categorically" rejects the designation and that there is no "credible justification" for its inclusion, adding that it won't hesitate to use all options available to have itself removed from the list, a spokesperson said.
RoboSense Technology, a maker of sensors used in robots and vehicles, said it has "never engaged in any military-related business or activities," and that it's a private-sector company focused on developing civilian robotics technologies.
Electric-vehicle maker NIO said "it is not a Chinese military company or a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base."
The company said the designation would not impact its business and that it will proactively engage with the U.S. Department of Defense to seek its removal from the list.
BYD and Unitree didn't immediately respond to requests for comment by The Wall Street Journal.
Market reactions to Pentagon's announcement were mixed. In Hong Kong trading, WuXi AppTec lost 3.4% in Tuesday afternoon, shares of BYD rose 0.7% and Baidu edged 0.8% higher, while Alibaba fell 1.0% and RoboSense slipped 0.5%.
Write to Tracy Qu at tracy.qu@wsj.com and Jiahui Huang at jiahui.huang@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 09, 2026 03:48 ET (07:48 GMT)
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