WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday published a revised list of major Chinese companies it believes are assisting Beijing’s military, adding widely known technology and industrial firms to an inventory that determines which entities "qualify for designation as 'Chinese military companies,'" the Pentagon said in its filing.
The new roster replaces an earlier list from early 2025 and closely mirrors a version that the Pentagon briefly posted in February but then removed. The Monday release restores two high-profile memory-chip manufacturers, CXMT and YMTC, which had been omitted from the February posting and whose absence prompted criticism from U.S. officials focused on China policy.
Prominent companies newly listed include e-commerce and cloud services group Alibaba, Internet search provider Baidu and electric automaker BYD. The update also adds biotech firm WuXi AppTec, AI-driven robotics company RoboSense Technology Co Ltd, and Unitree, a maker of humanoid and quadruped robots. The Pentagon filing notes the companies operate in the United States, and it says they can petition for removal from the list.
In a related development noted in the filing, U.S. AI chipmaker Nvidia said on June 1 that it plans to work with Unitree to build robots for researchers. The Pentagon did not attach additional commentary on that announcement. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the filing said.
The update also reflects changes among state-linked energy firms. Two entities owned by state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation - CNOOC China Ltd and CNOOC International Trading - were removed from the list. By contrast, China BlueChemical Limited, a CNOOC subsidiary, was added. The department filing reiterated that CNOOC is directly controlled by China’s government.
Under U.S. law, the Pentagon is required to publish this list at least annually. Although inclusion on the roster does not itself impose sanctions, a separate statute will in coming years bar the department from contracting with or procuring from companies on the list. The publication therefore signals to Pentagon suppliers and other U.S. government agencies the department’s assessment of these firms and can shape procurement decisions.
The roster’s publication arrives in a sensitive geopolitical context. It comes less than a month after President Donald Trump met China’s leader on a visit to Beijing in which the two presidents sustained a fragile trade war truce. The department acknowledged that names can be removed for reasons other than a decision that a firm lacks ties to the military - for example, if an entity no longer operates in the United States or if its legal name changes.
Some companies affected by prior iterations of the list have mounted legal challenges to their inclusion. The Pentagon filing noted that companies may petition for removal from the roster. The department did not provide detailed timelines for such petitions in the filing.
Observers cautioned that the list spans a broad set of companies that the Pentagon views as important to China’s military and industrial capabilities. The filing said that the list’s publication could exacerbate tensions between the two countries, which are already engaged in economic and geopolitical competition.
Context and implications
The updated list consolidates a range of technology, semiconductor, automotive, biotech and robotics companies under a single U.S. defense assessment. While it does not directly levy sanctions, the designation carries procurement consequences and may influence how U.S. suppliers and agencies approach business ties.