Comparing Biden and Trump's banned Chinese company lists

When President Joe Biden released his own version of an investment ban on Chinese defense and surveillance companies on Thursday, he didn't just raise the total number of companies from 48 to 59. In fact, his administration made significant changes to the list first assembled under former President Donald Trump. Protocol | China has analyzed the discrepancy between the lists before and after the June 3 Executive Order.

Of the 29 companies that didn't appear in the old list, at least 14 are aviation and aerospace firms with clear ties to the Chinese military. These include several affiliates of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, a defense aircraft manufacturer. The new list also adds Proven Glory Capital and Proven Honour Capital, two financing arms of Huawei that have sold bonds to international investors, according to the South China Morning Post.

The Biden administration also removed 18 companies from the list, most of which seem to have a less clear tie with the defense sector. These include the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, which makes civil aircraft, and China Three Gorges Corporation, which builds hydroelectric power plants.

Between the two lists, 30 companies are identical, including the most high-profile ones like telecom infrastructure giant Huawei, surveillance equipment maker Hikvision, and SMIC, the center of China's semiconductor ambitions.

The new executive order also referred to the companies as "Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies," as opposed to "Communist Chinese Military Companies" under the old administration.

Here's a table of the list before and after the June 3 Executive Order: