US withdraws tech blacklist an hour after adding two of biggest Chinese companies

The US government on Friday (February 13) withdrew a newly updated list of Chinese companies allegedly aiding Beijing’s military, just one hour after it was made public, a report has said. The list, known as the Pentagon's 1260H list, originally appeared on the official Federal Register with several new, high-profile additions, including tech giants Alibaba and Baidu, a repot by news agency Reuters said.However, the link was quickly replaced with a “withdrawn” notice following an urgent request from the agency. No official reason for the reversal has been provided, the report added.“An agency letter requesting withdrawal of this document was received after placement on public inspection,” the Federal Register posted in an editorial note.The update included some of China's most recognisable global brands. Along with Alibaba and Baidu, the list reportedly added BYD, which is one of the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturers and is a competitor to Elon Musk’s Tesla. Other companies included major biotechnology firm WuXi AppTec and RoboSense, a leader in AI-driven robotics.The list already includes major Chinese firms such as Tencent Holdings, one of China's largest tech companies, and CATL, a major battery maker in the electric vehicle industry. An Alibaba spokesperson said there was no basis for their inclusion and threatened legal action. “Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy,” the company was quoted as saying.Conversely, chip memory maker YMTC was reportedly removed from the updated roster. It is to be noted that being on this list does not trigger immediate sanctions but it carries a heavy stigma. Reuters reported that under a recently passed law, the Pentagon will be prohibited from signing contracts or buying products from any company featured on the list in the coming years.