 |
Tencent America has hired Mercury Public Affairs for Washington representation.
The Omnicom unit will work with the Palo Alto-based arm of the Chinese video & entertainment products giant on issues related to the William (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act.
That measure requires the Pentagon to publish an annual list of Chinese military companies.
The DOD added Tencent, owner of WeChat, to that list in January, a designation that the company called a mistake.
"We are not a military company or supplier. Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business," a Tencent rep told the BBC.
Mercury also will represent Tencent on issues related to regulation of the Internet and digital services, and deal with the international media.
Former Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter, and deputy communications director for the Trump/Pence campaign Bryan Lanza are on Mercury’s Tencent team.
Ballard Partners has added defense technology company Sempre to help it land federal contracts for digital infrastructure projects.
Flock Safety has hired Off Hill Strategies, a boutique lobby firm that boasts of its commitment to conservative principles.
Ballard Partners has signed South Korea’s SK Americas unit for representation on US semiconductor policies and developments.
Ballard Partners has signed to a represent the US unit of Rheinmetall, Germany’s biggest defense contractor, on Army procurement issues.
BGR Group signs on to provide lobbying and PR services for Terzo, an AI financial intelligence platform. Douglas Lute, chair of BGR’s international and defense practices, will join Terzo’s board of directors.
