The Pentagon on Friday briefly added tech conglomerate Alibaba and car maker BYD to a list of companies aiding China's military, two months before US President Donald Trump is set to visit Beijing.
The US defence agency sent its updated “Chinese Military Companies” list to the Federal Register on Friday morning before abruptly withdrawing it without explanation.
“An agency letter requesting withdrawal of this document was received after placement on public inspection,” the Federal Register said in a notice.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
Alibaba and BYD were placed on what is known as the 1260H list, which is an annually updated roster of “Chinese military companies” that operate directly or indirectly in the US.
Alibaba did not respond to The National's request for comment. BYD could not be reached for comment.
Tech firm Baidu, biotech company WuXi AppTec and AI-driven robotics technology company RoboSense were also added to the list, while chipmaker YMTC was removed.
The decision to add the companies to the list could also be aimed at adding pressure to China before an expected meeting between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two economic superpowers agreed to a trade truce in October.
While the list does not formally impose sanctions on the companies, it does prohibit the Pentagon from entering, renewing or extending contracts for goods, services or technologies with those firms or their affiliates.
A US House of Representatives select committee on China late last year called for WuXi to be added to the list.
