Alibaba US Lobbying Ban Judge Requests Suspension of Enforcement

On Sunday, a federal judge in the Northern District of California ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to temporarily suspend enforcement of the ban on Alibaba’s lobbying in the United States. The judge ordered that the group’s ban on hiring specialized lobbyists in the U.S. be held in abeyance, so the judge can address Alibaba’s request for reconsideration on the matter, or wait until the court holds a hearing on the reconsideration, for no more than 60 days.

The move follows the enactment of a new law that took effect last Monday, aimed at companies suspected of assisting China’s military, prompting Washington’s most influential lobbying firms to cut ties with Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba.

Under the law, if any lobbying personnel simultaneously work for entities that are listed on a blacklist for alleged links to China’s military, the U.S. Department of Defense will be barred from cooperating with those lobbying firms, effectively pressuring these lobbying firms to “pick a side.”

Under the judge’s order, during the period when the ban is suspended, the U.S. Department of Defense may not treat Alibaba as a company affiliated with China’s military.