In the final days of his presidency, Donald Trump has moved against another Chinese tech giant. On Wednesday, the Trump administration officially addedXiaomi, along with eight other companies, to its list of “Communist Chinese military companies.”
Firms designated as Communist Chinese military companies by the Department of Defense are blacklisted from receiving investments from US citizens or organizations. If not overturned, the designation would mean existing investors within the US would need to divest from Xiaomi.
Cut through the chatter
Subscribe to CNET’s Mobile newsletter for the latest phone news and reviews.
Xiaomi is one of the biggest phone makers in the world, with only Samsung and Huawei selling a higher quantity of phones, according to IDC research. With a global marketshare of 13.1%, thanks to its popularity in China, Latin America and Europe, Xiaomi sells even more phones than Apple. (Apple sells fewer phones than competitors but makes far more profit per phone sold.)
Xiaomi didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.