The Pentagon blacklists major Chinese technology companies

Yesterday, Monday, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced the addition of a number of major Chinese companies to the blacklist of entities accused of aiding the Chinese military. In a move expected to escalate tensions between the two superpowers. According to the Semaphore website, the new updates included in the list known as (1260H) Technology giants such as Alibaba and Baidu, along with the giant electric car manufacturer BYD, in addition to a leading company in the field of robotics and another prominent company in the biotechnology sector.

Although inclusion on this list does not result in the imposition of automatic sanctions, it hinders the ability of these companies to conclude contracts or cooperate with the US government, in addition to causing damage to their commercial and investment reputation.

Washington had previously published this list last February, before withdrawing it a few minutes after its release. This is what Bloomberg described as reflecting a state of “confusion and internal conflict” in the approach followed by the Trump administration towards China.