Washington D.C. lobbying firms are cutting ties with Chinese tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent ahead of a new law taking effect on June 30, 2026. [4, 5, 7] The rule, part of the National Defense Authorization Act, prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from working with any company whose lobbyists also represent entities on a Pentagon blacklist of alleged Chinese military-affiliated companies. [7, 9]
This provision forces lobbying firms to choose between their lucrative U.S. defense contracts and their Chinese tech clients. [7] The move follows the DOD's recent expansion of its blacklist in early June to include Alibaba, Tencent, and dozens of other firms. [9] This development effectively cuts off major Chinese tech companies from their key government affairs representatives in the United States. [7]