China's Alibaba sues Pentagon over blacklist designation

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is suing the US Department of Defense in an effort to be removed from a blacklist that identifies the company as supporting the Chinese military, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Alibaba argued in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday that the Pentagon added the company to the list of firms allegedly linked to the People's Liberation Army without providing sufficient evidence or explanation.

The company contended that the designation violates constitutional due process and its right to free speech, according to the filing submitted to a federal court in San Jose, California.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon updated its so-called 1260H list, adding several Chinese technology companies, including Alibaba Group, Baidu and automaker BYD, to a list of entities it believes have aided the Chinese military.

In a tit-for-tat move, Beijing on Monday imposed restrictions on 10 US entities, including Aveox Inc.