By Michael Martina, David Shepardson and Karen Freifeld WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department said Monday it had added Chinese tech giants including gaming and social media leader Tencent Holdings and battery maker CATL to a list of firms it says work with China's military.

The U.S. Defense Department has updated its list of Chinese companies allegedly linked to the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The most notable new names on the list are memory maker Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT), battery maker CATL, and cloud and gaming giant Tencent, reports Nikkei.

The Defense Department has added dozens of Chinese firms to a list of companies that are prohibited from working with the Pentagon and defense industry due to their alleged ties with China’s

Chinese general-purpose robotics firm Fourier has raised a new investment to bring the overall funding in its Series E round to almost 800 million yuan ($109.1 million) with support from investors including Prosperity7 Ventures.

Chinese artificial intelligence-related Beijing Zhipu Huazhang Technology said on Thursday it "strongly opposes" the United States commerce department's intention to add the company and its subsidiaries to its export control entity list.

Companies like FANUC, Yaskawa Electric, and Nachi-Fujikoshi churn out nearly half of global supply, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

Tencent (known for WeChat, a ubiquitous messaging and social media platform ... Other newly listed companies, including chip maker Changxin Memory Technologies and drone producer Autel Robotics, also expressed discontent or remained silent.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been building ties with the incoming Trump administration, said the move was an attempt to restore free expression on its platforms. For Cintas, a deal would allow the combined companies to serve more customers and make greater use of its recent investments in technology and infrastructure.

Nvidia's shares are rising further after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang delivered remarks last night at CES in Las Vegas, where he touted the company's progress on self-driving cars, robotics ... Tuesday after the WeChat parent was added ...

After a broader corporate retreat from diversity goals last year, McDonald's Corp. on Monday became the first big company to do so this year, citing a 2023 Supreme Court ruling and other companies rethinking their equity programs.

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Citigroup analyst Alicia Yap reiterated a "buy" rating and "top pick status" on Tencent, according to Business Insider. She wrote in a research report that Tencent's growth outlook and fundamentals are sound. She sees the selloff as an "enhanced buying opportunity" and has a HK$573 price target on the share.