The US Department of Defense has added two Chinese companies, Tencent and CATL, to its military blacklist due to national security concerns. The move comes as tensions between the US and China escalate, with Beijing imposing punitive trade measures on dozens of American companies.
Tencent’s shares plummeted nearly 10% after being designated a “military company”. The Chinese battery manufacturer CATL was also added to the list. These additions follow recent restrictions on Chinese drones in the US and allegations of Chinese hacking into the US Treasury Department.
Chinese officials have employed various tactics to influence US politics, including using pandas as leverage to cultivate relationships with local politicians. However, some individuals claim to have been misled about their roles in promoting Beijing’s interests. An F.B.I. informant named John Leung was revealed to be working under Chinese state media while secretly providing information to the FBI.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/06/business/us-chinese-military-companies-tencent-catl.html