China Threatens Countermeasures After US Blacklists Alibaba, BYD

(MENAFN) China on Saturday issued a forceful rebuke of Washington, threatening retaliatory action after the US Pentagon expanded its blacklist of designated "Chinese military companies" to include some of the country's most prominent corporate names.

Beijing's Commerce Ministry, in a statement carried by state-run media, accused Washington of weaponizing national security as a pretext to suppress Chinese enterprise — warning that the designation, if not reversed, would trigger a firm response.

"The US side has ignored the consensus reached during the meeting between the heads of state of the two countries in Beijing, disregarded the overall interests of bilateral economic and trade relations, continuously generalized the concept of national security, and abused state power to unjustifiably suppress Chinese enterprises," a ministry spokesperson said.

The ministry demanded that Washington immediately revoke the measures and guarantee fair, non-discriminatory treatment for Chinese firms operating in global markets. It warned that Beijing would take "resolute and strong countermeasures" if the restrictions remain in place.

The backlash followed the US Defense Department's latest revision of its military company blacklist — an update that ensnared some of China's biggest corporate names. The newly designated entities include tech giants Alibaba and Baidu, electric vehicle manufacturers BYD and NIO, and leading solar panel producers Trina Solar and JA Solar Technology.

China's Foreign Ministry had previously condemned the move in equally sharp terms, branding it discriminatory and damaging to the bilateral economic relationship.

While the designation stops short of imposing immediate sanctions, it bars the Pentagon from procuring goods or services from listed companies and opens them to heightened regulatory scrutiny — a designation that carries significant reputational and operational consequences.

Several of the targeted firms have pushed back, flatly rejecting the allegations and vowing to pursue legal remedies to challenge what they described as baseless classifications.

The Pentagon's action represents the latest flashpoint in an accelerating technology and security rivalry between the world's two largest economies, as Washington and Beijing continue to clash over the boundaries between commerce and national security.

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