Multiple U.S. lobbyists cut ties with Chinese military-linked companies in the past week, in order to preserve their business relationships with U.S. military contractors.
A provision included in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the Pentagon from contracting with companies represented by lobbyists that also represent companies linked to the Chinese military. The restriction went into effect on June 30.
Since May, U.S.-based firms have filed Lobbying Disclosure Act notices announcing they have terminated their lobbying relations with at least eight companies designated by the Pentagon as entities tied to the Chinese military. Most of these filings came just days before the June 30 deadline.
Some of the last-minute filings may be explained by a recent expansion of the list of designated Chinese military-linked companies.
The Pentagon was originally tasked with keeping a running list of companies with ties to the Chinese military under Section 1260H of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. That list, known as the 1260H List, has continued to grow since its inception, and currently covers 188 parent companies and subsidiaries.
The latest iteration of the 1260H List, published on June 8, included the online retailer giant Alibaba, the automotive manufacturer BYD, the biotech company WuXi AppTec, and the telecommunications manufacturer Zhongji Innolight for the first time.
The Pentagon said the designations against Alibaba, BYD, and Zhongji Innolight were appropriate because those companies had ties to China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Alibaba and WuXi AppTec have since filed lawsuits challenging the designation.
BYD’s executive vice president Stella Li also threatened litigation in recent comments to The Telegraph.
Registered lobbyists MO Strategies, BGR Government Affairs, and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck filed Lobbying Disclosure Act notices announcing they had ceased to represent Alibaba in the week before the deadline. Lobbying firm Greenberg Traurig filed paperwork officially terminating its representation of Alibaba on May 31.
BYD had listed its North America senior communications director, Frank Girardot, as its registered lobbyist up until this week. Girardot filed paperwork terminating the lobbying relationship on June 30.
Some lobbying firms have, until recently, represented multiple companies on the 1260H List.
Since May, MO Strategies has cut lobbying ties with the Chinese media conglomerate Tencent and the drone manufacturer DJI. Tencent and DJI were both previously included on the list and have also disputed their designations as Chinese military-linked entities.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck also cut lobbying ties with Tencent this week.
BGR Government Affairs also cut ties with the communications technology company Quectel Wireless Solutions, which is included on the 1260H List.
In the past month, the lobbying firms Hogan Lovells and Elevate Government Affairs cut their lobbying ties with Tencent and Cirrus Design Corporation, respectively.
MO Strategies, BGR Government Affairs, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Frank Girardot, Hogan Lovells, and Elevate Government Affairs did not respond to requests for comment before publication time.
