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

China's Ministry of Commerce has strongly urged the United States to cease all espionage activities targeting Chinese companies, warning of retaliation if the US continues its "gangster logic" of hegemony. This comes just two weeks before President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington, where AI and advanced technologies are expected to be a focal point of the US-China rivalry.

The ministry's remarks were in response to statements made by Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the CIA, who defended spying on China's AI and semiconductor sectors.

Ellis's recent comments suggested that Chinese companies were legitimate targets for espionage, particularly in areas such as AI, semiconductors, and biotechnology. The Chinese ministry's statement denounced the US for "exposing its gangster logic of hegemony in broad daylight" and accused Washington of blurring the lines between competition and security, framing economic competition as a "threat."

The ministry also criticized the US for ignoring its own rules against collecting foreign private commercial information and trade secrets for the purpose of giving US companies a competitive advantage.

The Chinese representative pointed out that the US routinely accused other trading partners of collecting intelligence while defending its own actions as reasonable, calling it a "blatant double standard." China has vowed to take all necessary measures to punish legal violations and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. As the technological rivalry between the US and China intensifies, economic espionage has become a battleground in the national security realm.