Alibaba Sues Pentagon: The Company Wants to Be Removed from the 1260H List
Chinese e-commerce and technology giant Alibaba has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense for placing the company on the “1260H” list, which identifies it as a “Chinese military company.” In its filing with the San Jose federal court in California, the company argued that the Pentagon’s decision has no factual or legal basis.
On June 8, the U.S. Department of Defense expanded the 1260H list and added major Chinese companies such as Baidu, BYD, NIO and WuXi AppTec, along with Alibaba. The Pentagon claimed that these companies contribute to China’s defense industrial base as part of China’s military-civil fusion strategy.
Alibaba, however, rejected these allegations and asked the court to remove it from the list. The company described the decision as “arbitrary and disproportionate” and stated that “these findings have no basis in fact or law.”
“Alibaba Is Not a Military Company” Statement
In the lawsuit filing, the company stated that Alibaba has no connection to the Chinese military, is not part of China’s military-civil fusion strategy and is managed by an independent board of directors. The statement emphasized that none of the board members has any military ties.
Alibaba stated that its products and services were developed not for weapons, defense or intelligence, but for retail, logistics and enterprise information technologies. The company also argued that its business relationships and reputation in the U.S. have been harmed by this classification.
Pentagon Did Not Comment
The Pentagon announced that it does not comment on ongoing litigation. Although being placed on the “1260H” list does not directly mean an official sanction, it can create serious reputation risks and business restrictions for companies. Under current regulations, the Pentagon will not be able to enter into direct contracts with companies on the list starting this month; from 2027, it will also not be able to purchase these companies’ products and services through third parties.
U.S.-China Technology Tension Deepens
The Alibaba lawsuit is considered a new link in the growing tension between the U.S. and China over technology, national security and data security. WuXi AppTec had previously filed a similar lawsuit against being placed on the list. The Chinese side, meanwhile, responded to the U.S.’s latest moves with trade restrictions targeting some American companies. This process shows that global technology and e-commerce companies such as Alibaba are facing not only commercial competition, but also geopolitical risks and national security debates.