Pentagon Adds Alibaba, BYD and Unitree to China Military List
June 8, 2026
The U.S. Department of Defense has expanded its list of companies it says support the Chinese military, adding e-commerce giant Alibaba, search and AI company Baidu, electric-vehicle (EV) maker BYD, and robotics firm Unitree.
The list now names 188 entities. The designation does not impose sanctions automatically, but it carries concrete consequences for U.S. defense procurement—affecting defense contracts, government purchasing, and defense supply chains—and is likely to add to U.S.-China tensions.
What the 1260H List Is and Who Was Added
The list is known as the 1260H list, after the section of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that created it. It identifies companies the Pentagon says operate in the United States and support China’s military.
This update leaned heavily on the auto sector: alongside BYD, the Pentagon added EV maker NIO and battery firms CALB Group and EVE Energy. RoboSense, one of China’s leading makers of LiDAR sensors, joined its rival Hesai on the list. Baidu is also among China’s leaders in autonomous driving.
The designation reached well beyond the auto sector: reports say networking-equipment maker TP-Link, solar firms JA Solar and Trina Solar, display-panel maker BOE Technology Group, and pharmaceutical contract manufacturer WuXi AppTec were also added.
Several of China’s major AI and internet companies are now on the list, with Tencent added last year. Alibaba and Baidu rejected the designation, with Alibaba saying it is not a Chinese military company and would take legal action. BYD separately pushed back as well, calling the military-company determination contrary to the facts and vowing to use all available administrative and legal means to defend its rights. NIO and RoboSense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
From a February Withdrawal to Republication
According to Bloomberg, an updated version of the list briefly appeared on the Federal Register’s public inspection page in February before being pulled without explanation. This time, the Department of Defense announced the updated list on June 8 and posted it to the Federal Register’s public inspection page, with formal publication in the Federal Register expected on June 10.
The 1260H list is only one of several tools Washington has used to restrict Chinese technology. The United States maintains a 100 percent tariff on imported Chinese EVs, among other tariffs used as leverage against Beijing. The designation does not trigger an automatic ban, but under the NDAA the Defense Department is barred from contracting directly with listed companies, and from 2027 the restriction extends to goods and services procured through third parties—complicating access to U.S. defense contracts, defense procurement, and defense supply chains.
Why the List Reaches Into Global Supply Chains
The expansion matters beyond U.S.-China relations. BYD and NIO sell vehicles across markets in Asia and elsewhere, while battery and sensor suppliers such as CALB, EVE Energy, and RoboSense are embedded in the parts supply chains of global automakers and electronics firms.
Companies that buy from or partner with listed entities may need to assess how the designation affects their U.S. operations and procurement. Alibaba and Baidu also provide cloud and AI infrastructure, so companies that rely on those platforms for services tied to U.S. defense contracts or defense procurement may need to check case by case whether they are affected.
What to Watch Next
While the broad shape of the Defense Department’s procurement restrictions is set, how far the designation will ripple into individual U.S. companies’ operations and sourcing remains to be seen case by case.
Whether the Pentagon adds or removes further entities, or again withdraws the filing as it did in February, remains undecided. How the named companies respond, including any legal challenges, could also shape what happens next.
Sources
South China Morning Post – Pentagon adds Chinese firms to military list, then withdraws filing
TechCrunch – Pentagon says Alibaba, Baidu, BYD and Unitree support China’s military
Reuters – US adds Chinese solar, battery firms to list of military-linked companies
Bloomberg (via Yahoo Finance) – Pentagon Accuses Alibaba, Baidu of Aiding China’s Military
