(Bloomberg) -- Chinese oil major Cnooc Ltd. and Cosco Shipping Holdings Co., the country’s biggest marine transport line, have been blacklisted by the US government for alleged links with the People’s Liberation Army.

The two firms were named in a Federal Register filing on Tuesday as qualifying as Chinese military companies as determined by the Pentagon, along with Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.

Cosco shares fell as much as 4.1% in Hong Kong on Tuesday, while Cnooc was down as much as 1.5%. The two companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Both companies have been previously targeted by Washington. The shipping line was sanctioned in 2019 for hauling Iranian oil, with those penalties lifted in 2020. Cnooc was one of the earliest Chinese state-owned enterprises to be hit with US sanctions and was also added to a Pentagon blacklist in 2021.

While being on the blacklist carries no specific penalties, it discourages US firms from dealing with those companies. Two Chinese shipbuilders — China State Shipbuilding Corp. and China Shipbuilding Trading Co. — were also included on the list.

--With assistance from Sarah Chen.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.