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 Pentagon has added five Chinese companies including Shenzhen-based tech giant Tencent and the world's biggest battery maker CATL to a list of mainland firms that Washington believes pose threats to US national security.

The United States has labeled additional Chinese tech and social media firms as Beijing military companies, including multimedia firm Tencent and battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, better known as CATL.