Earlier this week, the US Department of War added major Chinese companies — including e-commerce giant Alibaba, internet search engine Baidu and EV company BYD — to an official list of “Chinese military companies” operating directly or indirectly in the US. China’s foreign ministry said the list “unreasonably suppressed” Chinese companies and urged the US to “correct its mistaken practices.” Chinese companies, too, criticised the move. BYD told Reuters that the decision harmed “its development achievements in the United States”. Similarly, Alibaba said it was not a Chinese military company “nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy”, and that it would consider appropriate legal action. What is the basis of such inclusions, how does it affect their operations, and what does it say about the state of the larger US-China geopolitical competition? Basis of links to Chinese military The list is in accordance with Section 1260H of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The Act authorises appropriations for military activities of the US Department of Defense. Here, Section …