Tencent, the well-known Chinese tech and entertainment giant, has declared that it might pursue legal routes against the United States following its inclusion in a list of military-related companies. In a statement aimed at investors, Tencent emphasized that it has no ties with the Chinese military and suggested that its placement on the Chinese Military Companies (CMC) list is an error.
Chair of the board, Ma Huateng, underscored this point, saying, “Since the Company is neither affiliated with the Chinese military nor involved in military-civil fusion related to the Chinese defense industry, we believe our inclusion on the CMC List is a mistake.” He further explained that this particular U.S. government list is unlike others, as it only pertains to defense procurement and doesn’t impact the Group’s business operations.
Tencent is not taking this lightly and plans to begin a Reconsideration Process to address and hopefully rectify the error. As part of this process, the company will engage in discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense to clear up any confusion and, if needed, will proceed with legal actions to have its name removed from the list. The company committed to keeping stakeholders informed with announcements at the appropriate times.
