Pentagon expands Chinese military-linked entity list to 188 firms

The US Pentagon has added Alibaba, Baidu, electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, and robotics company Unitree to the 1260H list, a designation created under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to identify entities supporting the Chinese military. The update brings the total number of listed companies to 188, marking a significant expansion of the US government’s scrutiny over Chinese technology and industrial sectors.

The latest additions also include automotive firms Nio, CALB Group, and EVE Energy, as well as lidar sensor makers Robosense and Hesai. This move follows a previous publication of the updated list in February, which was briefly released before being withdrawn from the Federal Register for unexplained reasons. The Trump administration released the updated version four months ago before quickly pulling it without providing a rationale.

The expansion of the list increases the likelihood of restrictions on US business with these entities. It is expected to further strain US-China relations, adding to existing tensions that have been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s use of tariffs in both of its terms, including a 100% tax on imported Chinese electric vehicles.

Most of China’s biggest artificial intelligence players are now on the list, with Tencent added last year. This development occurs as President Donald Trump has stated he is weighing whether the US should take equity stakes in the country’s top AI companies. Baidu, one of China’s leaders in autonomous vehicles, and Robosense, a leading maker of lidar sensors, are among the newly listed entities.

Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, Nio, and Robosense did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding their inclusion on the list. The specific nature of the support provided by the listed companies to the Chinese military is not detailed in the source material, nor is it clear what specific restrictions will be implemented as a result of this listing.