The U.S. Defense Department has added dozens of Chinese companies, including games and technology company Tencent, artificial intelligence firm SenseTime and the world's biggest battery maker CATL, to a list of companies it says have ties to China's military.

Tencent was added to the Defense Department’s list of “Chinese military companies,” contributing to a selloff in U.S.-listed shares of the WeChat owner.

The Defense Department added video game maker Tencent Holdings to its "blacklist" of companies doing business in the U.S. while allegedly aiding the Chinese military.

The U.S. Defense Department has added dozens of Chinese companies, including games and technology company Tencent, artificial intelligence firm SenseTime and the world’s biggest battery maker CATL, to a list of companies it says have ties to China’s military,

The U.S. Defense Department said on Monday it has added Chinese tech giants including gaming and social media leader Tencent Holdings and battery maker CATL to a list of firms it says work with China's military.

The gaming and social media group, which owns ubiquitous Chinese messaging app WeChat, was added to a list of dozens of companies the defence department considers to be working with the Chinese military directly or indirectly,

The US has added several Chinese technology companies, including gaming and social media giant Tencent and battery maker CATL, to a list of businesses it says work with China's military. The list serves as a warning to American companies and organisations about the risks of doing business with Chinese entities.