US adds Tencent, CATL to list of Chinese firms allegedly aiding Beijing’s military

The US Defence Department said on Monday it has added Chinese tech giants including gaming and social media leader Tencent Holdings and battery maker CATL to a list of firms it says work with China’s military. The list also included chip maker Changxin Memory Technologies, Quectel Wireless, drone maker Autel Robotics, and China’s largest shipping company COSCO Shipping Holdings, according to a document published on Monday. Two entities owned by Chinese state-owned oil major China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) were also listed, CNOOC China Ltd and CNOOC International Trading. The annually updated list of Chinese military companies, formally mandated under US law as the “Section 1260H list,” designated 134 companies, according to a notice posted to the Federal Register.