SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
China blasts 'suppression' after US adds Tencent, CATL to military companies list
Beijing, Jan 7 (AFP) Jan 07, 2025
China on Tuesday accused Washington of "unjustified suppression" after the US Defense Department added tech giant Tencent and battery manufacturer CATL to a list of companies it says are affiliated with Beijing's military.

"China is always firmly opposed to the US side's generalisation of the concept of national security, the establishment of various discriminatory lists, the unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and the curbing of China's high-quality development," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.

The US Defense Department's list does not have direct legal implications for the companies in question, but can affect their reputations, and listed firms have sued over their inclusion in the past.

"We urge the US side to immediately correct its wrong practices," Guo said, adding that China would "take the necessary measures to resolutely protect the rights of Chinese companies".

Tencent is one of the top players in China's expansive technology sector, operating the WeChat "super-app" with other offerings across gaming, content streaming and cloud services.

CATL is also a major firm, producing more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold in the world.

A spokesperson for Tencent said the company's inclusion on the list "is clearly a mistake", and that "we are not a military company or supplier".

CATL also called it a "mistake" and asserted the firm is "not engaged in any military related activities".

Tencent's shares plummeted more than seven percent in Hong Kong on Tuesday, while CATL saw its shares in Shenzhen sink 5.2 percent.

mya/je/rsc

Tencent


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
PLD Space selected as leading contender for ESA sovereign launch initiative
UK thermal satellite firm wins ESA contract to deliver real time climate and security insights
UK opens competitive bid for GBP 75 million orbital cleanup mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
China speeds up renewables building spree: report
French giant EDF will take 12.5 pecent stake in new UK nuclear plant
Major US teachers union teams up with AI giants

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
BlackSky expands Gen-3 access to bolster Ukraine-focused intelligence operations
Maxar secures $205 million in multi-year deals to boost space capabilities across MEA
K2 Space validates satellite systems in orbit and fires record-breaking thruster

24/7 News Coverage
The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
Beijing decries 'discriminatory' ban on Chinese purchases of US farmland
China's 'new farmers' learn to livestream in rural revitalisation



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.