China on Saturday opposed the US adding several leading Chinese companies, including BYD, Alibaba and Baidu, to the Pentagon’s list of companies with alleged links to the Chinese military, arguing that the move undermines understandings reached during last month’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.This comes despite Trump’s recent visit to Beijing, where he was accompanied by a high-level delegation of US business leaders, including Boeing executives, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Elon Musk, as Washington and Beijing sought to improve economic relations and explore new trade and investment agreements.According to the Associated Press, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that Washington ignored the consensus reached by the two leaders and was harming bilateral economic and trade relations.The Pentagon earlier this week added electric car maker BYD, tech giants Alibaba and Baidu to its list of Chinese military companies. Being listed could prevent companies from securing US defense contracts.A Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman said in a statement that by adding the companies, “the American side ignored the consensus reached during the meeting between the presidents of the two countries in Beijing.”
The spokesman added that the United States “ignored the overall interests of bilateral economic and trade relations, constantly generalized the concept of national security, and abused state power to unjustifiably suppress Chinese companies.”The latest spat comes weeks after Trump traveled to Beijing to attend a closely watched summit with Xi.During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to enhance economic engagement, including China’s purchases of US agricultural products and Boeing aircraft, while establishing two separate trade and investment councils.BYD, Alibaba and Baidu previously said there was no basis for their inclusion on the Pentagon’s list.The move is the latest sign of continued friction between Washington and Beijing despite recent efforts by both sides to stabilize economic relations.On May 13, Trump visited Beijing, where he held talks with Xi Jinping aimed at improving economic and trade relations between the world’s two largest economies.Trump was accompanied by a delegation of senior American businessmen, including representatives of Boeing, NVIDIA President Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk.
During the visit, the two sides discussed trade, investment and market access, while exploring potential Chinese purchases of Boeing aircraft and other US goods.Following the summit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries agreed to establish trade and investment councils, address concerns about access to agricultural markets and promote expanded trade within the framework of mutual reductions in tariffs. However, the Pentagon’s latest move indicates that security and technological disputes continue to overshadow efforts to stabilize bilateral relations.
