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Leaked White House Memo Alleges Alibaba Aided Chinese Military Targeting of U.S.

FT reporting on an unverified White House memo prompted denials from Alibaba, with Beijing echoing the pushback.

Overview

  • The Financial Times said it reviewed a Nov. 1 White House national security memo alleging Alibaba provided the PLA access to customer data, AI tools and information on zero‑day software vulnerabilities, but it could not independently verify the claims.
  • The White House and the CIA declined to comment, and the FT did not publish the memo or specify which U.S. sites or systems were allegedly targeted.
  • Alibaba called the assertions completely false and suggested the leak was intended to undercut President Trump’s recent trade truce with President Xi; China’s embassy called the report a complete distortion of facts.
  • Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares fell roughly 3.7%–4.2% after the reports, while the stock rose modestly in Hong Kong the next trading day, according to market coverage.
  • Analysts and some lawmakers discussed potential U.S. responses such as a DoD Section 1260H listing, Treasury NS‑CMIC restrictions or Commerce Entity List actions, though no formal designations have been announced.