U.S. Department of Defense blacklists Tencent, Ningde Times and 134 other Chinese companies, companies respond “this is a mistake”

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) updated its “List of Chinese Military Enterprises” on January 6, 2025, adding 134 Chinese companies to the list, including Tencent Holdings, Ningde Times, Changxin Storage, Mobile Telecom, and drone maker DaoTong Intelligence. Under Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, the list prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from entering into or renewing contracts with these companies.

In response, Tencent said in a statement that its inclusion in the list was “clearly a mistake” and emphasized that the company is not a military enterprise and that the list has no impact on its business. Ningde Times also responded that the company has never been involved in any military-related activities and believes the decision is wrong.