China slams US allegations on AI distillation

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the United States on Wednesday not to make unfounded accusations against China or smear its reputation after several United States government security agencies accused Chinese companies of "distillation campaigns" against US AI firms.

On Tuesday, the US National Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly published a Cybersecurity Advisory.

They accused six Chinese companies — including DeepSeek and Moonshot AI — of conducting "aggressive, malicious, and targeted" industrial-scale distillation campaigns against US AI firms since at least late 2024, according to US media reports.

"We hope the US side will earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries and refrain from making unfounded accusations and smearing China," Mao said at a daily news conference in Beijing.

"Both China and the US are major countries in the field of artificial intelligence and they should strengthen cooperation," she said.

"China's development in artificial intelligence is the result of its high level of self-reliance and independent advancement in science and technology, and it has also benefited from our consistent adherence to the principles of consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, as well as open cooperation," she said.