China’s Ministry of Commerce on Friday hit out US CIA remark for accusing Chinese enterprises as allegedly legitimate targets for espionage.
“The U.S. side’s brazen claims that Chinese enterprises are legitimate targets for espionage have thoroughly ripped off the fig leaf behind which intelligence agencies covertly steal secrets, exposing the bandit logic of hegemony in broad daylight,” a ministry spokesperson said.
China has urged the U.S. side to immediately cease all espionage activities against China, including against Chinese enterprises, and to stop all actions that undermine China’s sovereignty, security and development interests.
The spokesperson said China possesses “the firm will and ample means” to resolutely take necessary measures in accordance with laws and regulations, such as the Counter-Espionage Law, to severely punish illegal and criminal acts and firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.
The comments came after CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis recently stated that the United States is engaging in a broader range of espionage against China including Chinese enterprises, claiming that Chinese firms in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and biotechnology are legitimate targets of such activities.
Refuting U.S. claims that China poses military and economic threats as “a bandit’s rhetoric that inverts black and white” and “malicious slander,” the spokesperson called the U.S. acts as suppression and smearing against China.
“China’s technological breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and biotechnology are the fruits of the dedicated efforts of Chinese researchers and enterprises, by no means prey to be arbitrarily coveted by U.S. intelligence agencies,” the spokesperson said.
Noting U.S. anxiety over China’s technological progress, the spokesperson stated that espionage and hegemonic suppression cannot halt the innovative strides of Chinese enterprises, nor can they win genuine technological leadership.
