Alibaba Files Lawsuit Against Pentagon Over Military-Linked Designation

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense, challenging its recent decision to designate the company as a "military-linked" institution.

On Wednesday (June 24), the company asserted that the classification was based on an "arbitrary and capricious" decision lacking any factual or legal basis. The lawsuit was officially filed in the San Jose Federal Court in California, demanding the immediate removal of its name from the restrictive list.

An Alibaba spokesperson emphasized that the corporation is entirely independent of the Chinese military and plays no part in the country's "military-civil fusion" strategy. The controversial list contains roughly 80 corporations, including Baidu and BYD, effectively barring the Pentagon from entering into new contracts with them starting June 30. Furthermore, Alibaba argued that this classification violates the First Amendment of the domestic Constitution by crippling its ability to retain long-term representation from local lobbying firms. In a swift retaliation, Beijing has imposed export controls on 10 domestic firms tied to the defense and rare mineral sectors, accusing the administration of overstretching national security concepts.