CXMT and YMTC were mistakenly removed from the U.S. blacklist—documents are already being corrected.

Shortened U.S. Department of Defense “black list”: what changed, why, and how parties reacted

What happened
When the Pentagon published an updated version of the list of Chinese companies linked to the military sector on February 12 (the document was publicly available for about an hour), it was immediately removed without explanation. Two major semiconductor manufacturers—CXMT and YMTC—disappeared from the list. Hard‑liners who support a “hard line against Beijing” accused the Department of Defense of “easing China’s military potential.” The list added dozens of technology giants: Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, WuXi AppTec, RoboSense, and others. Company representatives declared that their inclusion was unacceptable and threatened lawsuits.

Why did the “black list” appear in public?
- The U.S. Department of Defense regularly updates a roster of Chinese firms it believes could contribute to China’s military industry.
- In the latest version, two leading memory‑chip manufacturers—CXMT and YMTC—were excluded. This sparked a sharp reaction from those who support a hard stance against Beijing, as these companies are rapidly advancing technologies that could strengthen China’s military capability.

What was added?
- Alibaba (cloud infrastructure and e‑commerce)
- Baidu (search service)
- BYD (automotive manufacturer)
- WuXi AppTec (biotechnology company)
- RoboSense (robotics developer)

The inclusion of such companies raises questions about how closely they are tied to military objectives and how this affects international relations.

How did officials respond?
- The Department of Defense, the White House, and the Chinese embassy provided no comments.
- The Pentagon sent a letter to the Federal Register requesting removal of the publication without explaining the reasons.

What experts say about the reasons for changes
Expert Thesis Chris McGarry (former National Security Council staffer)
The exclusion of memory‑chip manufacturers may have been a technical error, especially given the addition of companies that are critical to China’s AI development.

Eric Saier (Asia‑Pacific defense policy expert)
The issue involves interagency coordination: new additions to the list will likely remain, while exclusions will be reviewed later.

How did the companies react?
- Alibaba stated it has no military activities or involvement in civil‑military integration, so its inclusion is unjustified. The company threatened lawsuits against U.S. authorities.

What this means for business and policy
- The list itself does not impose direct sanctions, but a new law prohibits the Pentagon from contracting with the listed firms in the coming years.

- The incident occurred amid a relaxation of trade policies under the Trump administration: after an October truce, Nvidia was allowed to export its more powerful AI chips to China, and the ban on selling technologies to Chinese companies was postponed.

Thus, the updated “black list” has become a subject of debate about how accurately one should assess the link between technology firms and the military sector and what consequences this may have for international relations and the economy.