Photo: VCG

The Chinese Embassy in Panama on Saturday rejected remarks by US officials that sought to smear Chinese technology companies, criticizing Washington for making baseless allegations and engaging in technological bullying, according to a statement released by the embassy's WeChat account on Monday.

Chinese experts noted that the US, despite its own notorious record, has abused national security concept to suppress law-abiding Chinese companies through lies, coercion and pressure, abandoning market principles and international trade norms in pursuit of outright hegemonic, robber-like logic.

The embassy said it had noted that the US Embassy in Panama had reposted on social media remarks by certain US officials making unfounded accusations against Chinese technology companies.

"Fabricating facts and distorting right and wrong are habitual tactics of some US politicians," the Chinese embassy said, stressing that US claims that Chinese companies conduct espionage activities for the Communist Party of China lack basic factual grounds.

Whether a company's products are secure should be determined by facts and technology, rather than political accusations, the embassy said.

It noted that Chinese companies operate on a market basis in Panama and other Latin American countries, strictly comply with local laws and industry standards, and have won recognition from users while making positive contributions to local economic and social development and employment.

The embassy also accused the US of "thief crying stop thief" and "shifting the blame", saying Washington has overstretched the concept of national security, restricted the normal development of Chinese companies and pressured regional countries to replace Chinese products.

"This is blatant technological bullying," the embassy said.

The US, which is truly keen on conducting espionage activities around the world and does not even spare its allies, should not accuse others of the same, the embassy said.

"For those whose minds are filled only with geopolitical calculations, they might even suspect that there is a listening device in a shaomai dumpling," the embassy said, using a sarcastic remark to mock what it described as Washington's excessive suspicion of Chinese technology.

Jiang Shixue, a professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University, told the Global Times on Monday that the US, ignoring objective facts and driven by geopolitical interests, has wantonly smeared Chinese companies, essentially seeking to suppress normal market competition and hinder the independent development of Latin American countries.

The "security threats" hyped by Washington are a classic case of the thief crying "stop thief" and shifting the blame. The US is the only country that has conducted long-term mass surveillance, launched cross-border cyberattacks and stolen data from other countries on a global scale, with its tentacles of surveillance extending across Latin America and sparing not even its allies. Its record on security abuses is simply too long to list, Jiang said.

Choosing economic and trade partners independently is a core right of sovereign states, not something the US can interfere with at will, Jiang said.

Similar rebuttals were also made at Chinese Foreign Ministry's briefing on Monday when asked to comment on a recent social media post by a US official, alleging that high risk technologies from Chinese tech companies create risks of espionage, cyber attacks, and network disruptions and urging US partners across the Western hemisphere to rapidly shift to reliable supply vendors to protect their citizens and sovereignty. 

"The allegations, full of fact-distorting fabrications, are means of blatant tech bullying and unilateral coercion. China firmly rejects them," said the foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. 

Chinese tech firms have become well-known for their advanced technologies, competitive pricing and secure and efficient services. When operating overseas, they strictly abide by local laws, regulations and industry norms. In fact, they have won wide recognition and appreciation from local partners and communities, contributed to host country socioeconomic growth and job creation, and proven themselves genuinely reliable suppliers, Lin said. 

In stark contrast, the US has long engaged in tapping, surveillance, and cyber-attacks across Latin America and the Caribbean, leaving nations there feeling insecure and distrustful of Washington, Lin said.

"We advise the US to stop its political manipulation, stop interfering with sovereign nations' right to independently choose cooperation partners, and instead contribute to prosperity and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean through concrete actions," Lin said.