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The Pentagon has designated Chinese corporate giants Alibaba, Baidu and BYD as companies that support China’s military.

Getting into it: The firms were swept up in a Monday update to the Pentagon’s so-called 1260H list, which has now ballooned to roughly 188 companies, up from about 134 a year ago. Alongside the three household names (China’s biggest e-commerce, search and electric-vehicle brands), the update added EV maker Nio, biotech contractor WuXi AppTec, and robotics firms RoboSense and Unitree, with the Pentagon citing their alleged role in Beijing’s “military-civil fusion” strategy through ties to Chinese state ministries.

The listing stops short of formal sanctions, but it bars the Defense Department from contracting with the firms and serves as a red flag to investors, one that can precede tougher restrictions.

The companies pushed back hard. Alibaba said there was “no basis” for its inclusion, insisting it “is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy” and vowing to “take all available legal action.” Baidu called the designation “entirely baseless” and said it would “use all options available” to get removed, while WuXi AppTec branded its listing “erroneous.” BYD did not respond to requests for comment.

China also pushed back, with its embassy in Washington DC calling it a “discriminatory” list and accusing the US of “overstretching the concept of national security.”

The timing came barely a month after Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing for a summit.