Nio ET5T equipped with the plush DF-5C intercontinental ballistic missile toy. Credit: CarNewsChina Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member The US Department of Defence has added several Chinese EV makers, battery makers, and technology companies to its list of “Chinese military companies,” including BYD, Nio, and CALB. The updated Section 1260H list also includes Alibaba, Baidu, battery maker EVE Energy, lidar maker Hesai and Robosense, WuXi AppTec, TP-Link, JA Solar, Trina Solar, BOE Technology Group, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) and robotic startup Unitree, according to a Federal Register notice scheduled for publication this week. Nvidia announced a partnership with Unitree at the beginning of June. The Defence Department also removed several entities from the previous version of the list, including CNOOC China Ltd and CNOOC International Trading, both linked to China National Offshore Oil Corporation. The Pentagon’s move does not automatically impose sanctions. However, it can restrict future US government procurement and may complicate business with US partners, especially in sectors connected to defence supply chains, capital markets, and government contracts. Companies on the list can petition the Pentagon for removal. The Pentagon said BYD is directly and indirectly affiliated with China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) and indirectly affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). It also claimed that BYD is a “military-civil fusion contributor” because of its links to MIIT and its location in, or affiliation with, a military-civil fusion enterprise zone, according to a Department of Defence document viewed by CarNewsChina. For Nio, the Pentagon said the EV maker is directly and indirectly affiliated with SASAC and is a military-civil fusion contributor because it is affiliated with MIIT. BYD is China’s largest new energy vehicle maker and one of the world’s biggest EV producers. Nio is a Shanghai-based EV maker focused on premium electric vehicles and battery-swap technology. CALB is among China’s major battery manufacturers and supplies batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Other automotive and mobility-related companies on the list include EVE Energy, lidar makers Hesai and RoboSense, and robotics company Unitree. EVE Energy was cited by the Pentagon for alleged SASAC links and for receiving government support through China’s “Single Champion” program. RoboSense was cited as a military-civil fusion contributor because of alleged PLA affiliation, while Hesai was cited for alleged links to MIIT, SASAC, and the PLA. Unitree’s inclusion is notable because Nvidia announced on June 1 that the Unitree H2 Plus humanoid robot would be used in its Isaac GR00T reference design for academic robotics research, alongside Nvidia’s Jetson Thor computing platform and Isaac GR00T software. The list also covers companies outside the EV supply chain. Alibaba and Baidu were added, along with biotech company WuXi AppTec, display-panel maker BOE, solar companies JA Solar and Trina Solar, router maker TP-Link, and memory chipmakers CXMT and YMTC. Tencent and CATL were already added to an earlier version of the list in January 2025. WuXi AppTec rejected the designation, calling it incorrect and saying it would take action to challenge the decision, according to Reuters. The company said it is an independent, publicly traded business and does not meet the statutory criteria for inclusion. The latest update expands the Section 1260H list beyond traditional defence and telecom firms into electric vehicles, batteries, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, semiconductors, solar energy, and lidar. It comes as the US continues to tighten scrutiny of Chinese technology companies, saying it may support China’s military or military-civil fusion strategy. The 1260H list is separate from other US restrictions, including the Commerce Department’s Entity List and Treasury Department sanctions lists. Inclusion on the Pentagon list alone does not ban a company from operating in the US, but it increases legal and reputational risk and can lead to further restrictions. The blacklist followed a brief, unexplained incident in February, when the Pentagon posted a similar version of the list naming Alibaba, BYD, Baidu, and TP-Link, only to withdraw it minutes later.