China opposes US sanctions over trade secret allegations

The United States' decision to sanction five Chinese companies over alleged trade secret theft has drawn strong opposition from China, with the Ministry of Commerce warning on Tuesday that Beijing will take necessary measures if Washington fails to reverse its actions.

The sanctions, announced on Monday under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, target five Chinese companies accused of stealing trade secrets.

A ministry spokesperson said in an online statement that the US has seriously harmed the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies by making unfounded allegations of trade secret theft, tarnishing their reputations and imposing sanctions against them.

The commerce official stressed that the rapid development of Chinese artificial intelligence companies is the result of years of fundamental research, sustained investment in innovation, independent technological innovation and open cooperation.

These achievements benefit both China and the US, as well as the rest of the world, and have nothing to do with the alleged theft of trade secrets, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson urged the US side to take an objective view of the achievements of Chinese companies, stop discrediting and suppressing them, and create a level playing field to safeguard China-US economic and trade cooperation.