The Pentagon has concluded that Alibaba Group Holding, Baidu Inc. and BYD Co. should be added to a list of companies that aid the Chinese military, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg informed lawmakers of the conclusion in a letter on October 7, three weeks before Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a broad trade truce, according to the report.
It is not immediately clear if the companies have been added to the Pentagon’s 1260H list of Chinese companies deemed military-linked but operating in the US, Bloomberg reported.
While the designation does not involve immediate bans, it can be a blow to the reputations of affected companies and represents a stark warning to US entities and firms about the risks of conducting business with them.
Feinberg said the three companies and five others, Eoptolink Technology Inc, Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd. , RoboSense Technology Co, WuXi AppTec Co. and Zhongji Innolight Co, merit inclusion on the 1260H list, according to the report.
An Alibaba spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement that “there’s no basis to conclude that Alibaba should be placed on the Section 1260H List,” clarifying that “Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy.”
The company also added that “being on the Section 1260H List would not affect our ability to conduct business as usual in the United States or anywhere in the world” as it doesn’t do any business related to US military procurement.
The Pentagon, Baidu and BYD did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comments.
The annually updated list of Chinese military companies, formally mandated under US law as the “Section 1260H list,” designated 134 companies in its last update in January, including Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings and battery maker CATL.
Pentagon seeks to add Alibaba, Baidu, BYD to China military list, Bloomberg News reports
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Pentagon seeks to add Alibaba, Baidu, BYD to China military list, Bloomberg News reports
- It is not immediately clear if the companies have been added to the Pentagon’s 1260H list of Chinese companies deemed military-linked but operating in the US, Bloomberg reported
Blair dropped from Gaza ‘peace board’ after Arab objections
- Former UK PM was viewed with hostility over role in Iraq War
- He reportedly met Netanyahu late last month to discuss plans
LONDON: Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has been withdrawn from the US-led Gaza “peace council” following objections by Arab and Muslim countries, The Guardian reported.
US President Donald Trump has said he would chair the council. Blair was long floated for a prominent role in the administration, but has now been quietly dropped, according to the Financial Times.
Blair had been lobbying for a position in the postwar council and oversaw a plan for Gaza from his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change that involved Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Supporters of the former British leader cited his role in the Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of conflict and violence in Northern Ireland.
His detractors, however, highlighted his former position as representative of the Middle East Quartet, made up of the UN, EU, Russia and US, which aimed to bring about peace in the Middle East.
Furthermore, Blair’s involvement in the Iraq War is viewed with hostility across the Arab world.
After Trump revealed his 20-point plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in September, Blair was the only figure publicly named as taking a potential role in the postwar peace council.
The US president supported his appointment and labeled him a “very good man.”
A source told the Financial Times that Blair’s involvement was backed by the US and Israel.
“The Americans like him and the Israelis like him,” the person said.
The US plan for Gaza was criticized in some quarters for proposing a separate Gaza framework that did not include the West Bank, stoking fears that the occupied Palestinian territories would become separate polities indefinitely.
Trump said in October: “I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody.”
Blair is reported to have held an unpublicized meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last month to discuss plans.
His office declined to comment to The Guardian, but an ally said the former prime minister would not be sitting on Gaza’s “board of peace.”
