EXCLUSIVE: Tencent Hires New Washington Lobbying Firm on Pentagon's Chinese Military List After Four Firms Quit

Chinese technology giant Tencent has hired a new Washington lobbying firm to work on the Pentagon's list of Chinese military companies, months after four lobbying firms dropped the company over a new defense contracting rule, according to federal lobbying records reviewed by The Digital Free Press.

Platinum Advisors DC, LLC registered on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to lobby for Tencent America LLC, the Palo Alto, California-based U.S. arm of Tencent Holdings. The registration lists one lobbying issue: "Issues related to Section 1260 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 (as amended)." That is the law that requires the Pentagon to publish its list of Chinese military companies, known as the Section 1260H list. The filing gives Sept. 10, 2026, as the date the work began.

The registration names one lobbyist, Robert Smith II, a former legislative aide to then-Rep. Joel Hefley and former legislative director to then-Rep. Wes Watkins. It lists Tencent Holdings Limited, based in the Cayman Islands, as owning 100% of the client.

On the same day, Platinum filed its third-quarter report for Tencent America. It reports $150,000 in lobbying income for July through September and says the firm lobbied the House and the Senate on the same issue.

Four Firms Walked Away in June

The new hire comes after Tencent lost most of its Washington lobbying team this summer. Federal lobbying records show that Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Mercury Public Affairs, MO Strategies and Hogan Lovells all filed termination reports for Tencent America in late June, with termination dates of June 26 or June 29. In the first quarter of 2026, those four firms together reported $1.34 million in lobbying income from the company.

The departures followed a provision in the fiscal 2025 defense bill, Section 851, which bars the Pentagon from contracting with companies that employ a registered lobbyist for a company on the 1260H list, The Next Web reported in June. According to the law firm Covington & Burling, the Pentagon's own guidance says the provision "prohibits the Department of War from entering into, renewing, or extending certain contracts when a contractor, its parent company, or subsidiary has a relationship with a covered lobbyist."

The Pentagon added Tencent to the 1260H list in January 2025. At the time, a Tencent spokesperson told the BBC the listing was "clearly a mistake" and said, "We are not a military company or supplier."

Tencent's Other Lobbying Continues

Tencent has not gone silent in Washington. John McEntee, who lists his former position as "Assistant to the President," reported $225,000 in income from Tencent America for the third quarter in a report posted Oct. 21. His report lists trade as the issue area and the Treasury Department as the agency contacted, with "No specific issues" described. Tencent Holdings Limited separately reported $590,000 in third-quarter lobbying expenses in its own filing.

Nothing in the filings says which members of Congress Platinum contacted or what outcome Tencent is seeking on the list. Lobbying registrations do not require that level of detail.

Aside from a one-line entry in a trade newsletter's daily list of new lobbying registrations, The Digital Free Press found no news coverage of the Platinum registration or its $150,000 report before publication.

The Digital Free Press reached out to Platinum Advisors DC for comment on Oct. 23; no response was received by publication.

Hold Everyone Accountable.

Sources: Lobbying registration, Platinum Advisors DC for Tencent America LLC (posted Oct. 20, 2026): https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/48e0d653-2fda-4df8-9222-2b363884f910/print/ ; Third-quarter 2026 lobbying report, Platinum Advisors DC for Tencent America LLC: https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/42d4b2e1-4696-4ef7-882b-4181d126e8b3/print/ ; Third-quarter 2026 lobbying report, John McEntee for Tencent America LLC: https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/59bc20ce-d1a9-47f3-90a3-5ff926f7262d/print/ ; The Next Web, June 29, 2026: https://thenextweb.com/news/alibaba-tencent-lobbyists-drop-pentagon-1260h-rule ; Covington & Burling, July 30, 2026: https://www.cov.com/en/news-and-insights/insights/2026/07/defense-department-publishes-guidance-page-concerning-restrictions-on-defense-contractors-retaining-outside-consultants ; BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9q78wn9g8zo