US adds Alibaba, BYD, Baidu and other Chinese tech giants to military blacklist

The US Department of Defence has expanded its blacklist of Chinese companies that Washington describes as Beijing military-linked, adding tech and manufacturing giants like Alibaba, Baidu, Nio and BYD. The designation, which now encompasses 188 entities, officially blocks the firms from securing US defence contracts. Targeting critical sectors such as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and semiconductors, the move marks a significant escalation in the ongoing US-China technological rivalry and has already sparked strong diplomatic pushback from Beijing.