Beijing, China - Officials in Beijing have hit back at the US for suppressing Chinese enterprise and curbing its development after Washington listed two of its companies as being linked to the military.

The US Department of Defense (DOD) added tech giant Tencent, known for its involvement in the video game industry, as well as its WeChat messaging app, and battery manufacturer CATL to a list of Chinese military companies.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun hit back at Washington during his daily press briefing, criticizing what he calls "discriminatory lists" and accusing the US of suppressing Chinese development.

"China is always firmly opposed to the US side's generalization of the concept of national security, the establishment of various discriminatory lists, the unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises, and the curbing of China's high-quality development," spokesperson Guo said.

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"We urge the US side to immediately correct its wrong practices," Guo said before vowing that China would "take the necessary measures to resolutely protect the rights of Chinese companies."

Inclusion in the DOD's list does not mean an immediate or outright ban, but it adds pressure to other US government departments to investigate and possibly issue sanctions against them.

Listing also serves as a warning to US companies against doing business with them, at risk of damaging their reputation.

Updated annually, the Section 1260H list now includes 134 Chinese firms, including technology companies, universities, and research organizations.

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Both Tencent and CATL have denied doing business with the Chinese military but are widely believed to at least be in part influenced by the government in Beijing.

CATL said that the listing was a "mistake" and insisted that the battery manufacturer had no link or association with the Chinese military.

"We are not a military company or supplier. Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business," a spokesperson for Tencent, which owns WeChat, told the BBC.