Pentagon labels Chinese electric car maker BYD as state actor, making US contracts unlikely

Published June 9, 2026 2:20pm ET | Updated June 9, 2026 3:51pm ET



The Department of War added electric car company BYD to its list of “Chinese military companies,” meaning the Shenzhen-based manufacturer will lose out on future Pentagon contracts.

The list, updated on Monday, now includes e-commerce giant Alibaba and search engine Baidu, China’s Google equivalent. The inclusion of BYD comes as the automaker looks to capitalize on positive consumer sentiment and break into the North American market.  

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