China urges US to ‘stop all spying’ or face retaliation, slams ‘gangster logic’

China has demanded that the United States cease all espionage activities targeting its companies, warning of a firm response if the US continues its actions. This comes as President Xi Jinping prepares to visit Washington, where discussions on artificial intelligence and advanced technologies are anticipated to take center stage in the US-China rivalry.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce made these remarks following statements by Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, who defended the CIA's surveillance of China's AI, semiconductor, and biotechnology sectors. Ellis claimed that Chinese firms were "legitimate targets" for intelligence gathering. In response, the Chinese ministry stated that the US had exposed its "gangster logic of hegemony," arguing that economic competition should not be mistaken for security threats.

The ministry accused the US of blurring the lines between competition and security, framing economic competition as a "threat" and employing a zero-sum, Cold War mentality. While Washington had previously prohibited intelligence activities from collecting foreign private commercial information for the benefit of US companies, the ministry claimed that the US had disregarded these rules and exhibited a double standard by accusing others of collecting intelligence while justifying its own actions.

As economic espionage escalates, it has transformed commercial sectors into fronts for national security disputes. Recent testimony revealed that China allegedly orchestrated a multifaceted effort to steal commercial and technological secrets from the US and other Western nations.