Alibaba logo on an office building in Shanghai, China. Photo source: RobertWei | Dreamstime.com
Chinese group Alibaba is accused in an internal White House national security memo of providing technological support for Chinese military “operations” against US targets, according to the Financial Times.
The document, provided to the FT, includes “top secret”, declassified information about how the Chinese group supplies the Chinese military with capabilities that the White House believes threaten US security.
The claims, which the FT cannot independently verify, reflect Washington's growing concerns about cloud services, artificial intelligence and Beijing's ability to access and exploit sensitive US data.
The allegations against Alibaba, a Chinese online commerce, retail and technology group, are just the latest concerns raised by US officials about Chinese companies they suspect of having ties to the military.
The internal White House memo also accuses Alibaba Group of giving the Chinese military and government in Beijing access to customer data, including IP addresses, WiFi information and payment records, as well as various artificial intelligence-related services.
The reaction of the Chinese company
“The claims allegedly based on US intelligence, which were leaked by your source, are completely absurd. This is clearly an attempt to manipulate public opinion and defame Alibaba,” said the Chinese company, which did not immediately respond to the FT's request to confirm or deny any links to Beijing's military.
Militaries around the world are increasingly dependent on companies for a variety of technology services, especially as weapons systems are connected by computer networks and are increasingly dependent on cloud computing services. The FT recalls that in 2022, the Pentagon awarded such contracts to Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Oracle.
The White House document does not say what exactly the Chinese military is targeting in the US. Still, the office of the US director of national intelligence said this year that Beijing had been able to compromise US infrastructure in ways it could use in a conflict with the US.
A March threat assessment sounded the alarm about the “increasing scope and depth” of Chinese cyber campaigns and cited an unprecedented penetration of US telecommunications networks – dubbed Salt Typhoon.
Trump administration 'takes these threats very seriously'
Asked about the internal memo, a US official said the administration “takes these threats very seriously and is working around the clock to mitigate the ongoing and potential risks and effects of (cyber) intrusions using untrusted providers.”
The White House and the CIA declined to comment on the situation.
The memo, dated Nov. 1, came shortly after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in South Korea, where the two agreed to a broad truce on trade restrictions.
John Moolenaar, the Republican leader of the House Committee on Competition with China, told AT that the allegations targeting Alibaba fit with his committee's long-standing concerns that Chinese firms could be subject to Chinese laws that eliminate customer protections regardless of where they operate.
“The federal government and industry must take action to protect the American people and eliminate Chinese companies' access to our markets and innovations,” Moolenaar said.
Photo source: RobertWei | Dreamstime.com
