The US has put a row of larger Chinese commercial firms on its Pentagon blacklist for connections with China’s military, including Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, CATL, Unitree, Xiaomi, Huawei and chipmaker CXMT. “It signals that the definition of strategic technology has expanded dramatically, says Winston Ma, adjunct professor at NYU, across a range of media.
The Sri Lanka Guardian:
“When companies like Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, Tencent and Xiaomi are viewed
through a national security lens, it signals that the definition of strategic
technology has expanded dramatically,” said Winston Ma. He noted that the
updated Pentagon list aligns with broader regulatory shifts in the United
States, including earlier efforts by the Committee on Foreign Investment in
the United States to broaden its review of mergers and acquisitions involving
foreign-linked firms. That expansion, implemented in early 2025, was
designed to tighten oversight of investments from geopolitical competitors,
particularly China.
Ma added that these developments reflect a structural shift in how
commercial innovation is assessed within policy frameworks. “Both
developments reflect a broader reality: The boundary between commercial
technology and national security is becoming increasingly blurred,” he said.
More at the Sri Lanka Guardian.
Winston Ma is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
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