China’s CXMT is suing the Pentagon over its inclusion on the “blacklist”

Chinese chipmaker CXMT has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, demanding that it be removed from the "blacklist" identifying the Chinese manufacturer as supporting China’s armed forces. Bloomberg reports this, according to UNN.

Details

CXMT has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, demanding that it be removed from the "blacklist" identifying the Chinese chipmaker as supporting the armed forces of the communist country

The company’s management stated that it develops chips for civilian and commercial use, not military purposes, and that it was mistakenly added to the list. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth among the defendants.

The company has also joined such peers as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in seeking to be removed from the list.

CXMT is not a military company and has no ties whatsoever to the Chinese armed forces. Since it was first added to the list in January 2025, CXMT has continuously suffered reputational and commercial harm. The company is filing this lawsuit to protect its reputation and business interests

The company said that inclusion on the U.S. blacklist would not affect its day-to-day operations. The company is currently the world’s fourth-largest DRAM manufacturer. CXMT and Yangtze Memory were added to the blacklist again in June, after being removed from a version that briefly appeared in February.

Recall

The U.S. Department of Defense updated its list of Chinese companies that, in Washington’s view, cooperate with PRC military structures. Internet giants Alibaba and Baidu, as well as electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, were added to the list for the first time.