Global energy storage and EV battery majors including BYD are being added to a US ‘blacklist’ that alleges the firms and other tech partners have links to China’s military, Batteries International can reveal.
BYD, Nio and Eve Energy are among those named by the Pentagon in a list seen by Batteries International and which is due for publication in the US government’s official journal, the Federal Register, tomorrow (June 10).
However, several of the companies named, including Chinese tech firm Baidu and the Alibaba Group, have already rejected claims about their operations as baseless and factually inaccurate.
The updated Section 1260H list ― the official list of companies the Department of Defense has designated as Chinese military companies operating in the US ― aims to highlight industry players at the heart of US-China technological competition.
Inclusion on the list does not automatically attract sanctions, but industry observers say it can lead to restrictions on future US government procurement and cause difficulties in terms of compliance in conducting business with US partners.
Firms on the list also face increased scrutiny, potential restrictions on defence contracts and reputational damage ― although companies can petition to be removed from the list.
Several of the companies included on the list have already issued statements refuting the US allegations, according to the Beijing-based daily Global Times.
The US claims BYD is directly and indirectly affiliated with the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of China’s State Council (SASAC) and is indirectly affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). BYD is alleged to be a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base because it is affiliated with MIIT and because it resides in or is affiliated with a military-civil fusion enterprise zone.
According to the US, EVE Energy is a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base because it knowingly received assistance from the government of China through science, technology, research, or industrial efforts initiated, granted, or created by, or provided under, or related to, the Chinese military industrial planning apparatus, or in furtherance of Chinese military industrial planning objectives.
Baidu and Alibaba are military-civil fusion contributors to the Chinese defence industrial base because of their affiliations with MIIT, according to the US.
Baidu said on June 9: “As the company is neither a Chinese military company nor a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base, (we) believe there is no justification for the company’s inclusion on such a list.”
Baidu said US government procurement limitations tied to the list would not impact the business of the company.
In September 2024, EVE Energy held a ceremony in California to mark the opening of its US regional headquarters.
In November 2025, BYD quoted the California Independent System Operator as confirming a newly installed 100MW/400MWh ESS it provided had been ranked No.1 in the state in terms of reliability and availability among all stand-alone energy storage projects.
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