China criticizes US for being ‘world’s number one secret stealer’ after reports of NSA spying on allied leaders

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a stern rebuke of US intelligence practices after Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel demanded answers about reports that Washington used Danish intelligence to monitor its allied leaders.

Speaking on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin claimed that the US is the world’s number one secret stealer and gladly snoops on its allies using a broad spectrum of techniques. 

The recent media reports of the US’ monitoring of its European allies is just the tip of the iceberg of Washington’s huge global secrecy network, Wang stated, adding the international community needs to hold the Americans to account. 

Wang claimed that the so-called ‘clean network’, a platform proposed by the Trump administration meant to safeguard against aggressive intrusions by malign actors, is just a ruse to consolidate the US monopoly on technology. 

The spokesman said that while the US has undertaken covert operations, eavesdropping on the world, including its allies, it has also unreasonably suppressed other nations and commercial entities on the grounds of so-called national security. This “fully exposes the hypocrisy of the US,” he stated.  

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Washington to present an explanation for reports that the US had eavesdropped on its allies with the aid of Denmark. “This is not acceptable amongst allies,” Macron told a news conference, adding, “there is no room for suspicion between us.” 

The US’ National Security Agency (NSA) reportedly used the Danish Defense Intelligence Service to spy on senior officials France, Germany, Norway and Sweden from 2012 to 2014. The claims were made by the Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio following an internal investigation by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service.

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