Pentagon Blacklists Chinese Tech Firms

The Pentagon has added several prominent Chinese businesses, including tech giants Alibaba, Baidu, and electric car maker BYD, to its list of companies aiding Beijing's military.

This move could inflame tensions between the two countries, as the updated list sanctions well-known, non-state-owned Chinese companies not traditionally considered to be in the defense or security sector.

The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., has condemned the designation, calling it 'discriminatory.' This action comes less than a month after President Donald Trump met China's Xi Jinping on a visit to Beijing, further complicating diplomatic relations.