E-commerce giant Alibaba has launched a high-stakes legal challenge against the US government, suing to be removed from a Pentagon blacklist that claims it is linked to the Chinese military.

The Department of Defence (DoD) has said that because Alibaba complies with Chinese technology regulators, it is effectively an arm of the military.

In the lawsuit filed in a California federal court, Alibaba pushed back, claiming the determinations "have no basis in fact or law".

The challenge comes after the Pentagon recently expanded its blacklist of companies it will not be able to do business with, effective at the end of the month, to include major tech names like Baidu, BYD, and Nio.

The defence department put Alibaba on the blacklist, saying the firm was a "military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defence industrial base" because of its regulatory ties to Beijing.

But Alibaba countered the argument, saying that none of its independent board members had any military affiliation.

Every multinational operating in China - including American firms - must follow the exact same local rules, it noted.

Its platforms, Alibaba said, are built for retail and cloud computing, not weapons or intelligence.

While the blacklist does not freeze finances immediately, it triggers a brutal operational penalty on 30 June.

Starting next week, the Pentagon is legally banned from doing business with any blacklisted firm.

Crucially, the law also extends to any US contractor that shares a lobbyist or law firm with a blacklisted entity. In Alibaba's case, the company argues that this restriction creates a functional blockade, forcing its long-term American advisers to sever ties to protect their own lucrative defence contracts.

The rule effectively strips the company of its political and legal voice in Washington at the exact moment it needs to defend itself.

According to the complaint, Alibaba had previously requested a meeting with the agency to address concerns about its Chinese military affiliation, including presenting evidence of its US economic contributions.

However, the tech giant says that even after its submissions, the agency raised no concerns with the firm and requested no additional information. Rather, it "designated Alibaba without notice or a fair hearing", the complaint notes.

The DoD declined to comment on the matter, telling the BBC, "We do not comment on ongoing litigation". Alibaba has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.