Beijing: Spying allegations are a pretext for imposing a US “technological blockade” on China

(CNN) - On Thursday, Beijing again denied spying allegations, after previously rejecting allegations that Alice Huang worked as a Chinese spy during her relationship with Jensen Huang.

“We have already made clear our position on the so-called ‘Chinese espionage’ allegations,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in a regular briefing. “China’s technological progress stems from independent innovation and open cooperation.”

She added: "The United States should stop fabricating narratives about espionage and using them as an excuse to impose a technological blockade on China."

She continued, saying that the United States and China “maintain close communication regarding interactions between the leaders of the two countries,” and that Beijing “is ready to work with the American side to optimally implement the important joint understandings reached by the two heads of state.”

The spying allegations related to Nvidia come at a very sensitive time. US President Donald Trump heads to Shenzhen next week to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he is expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the third time this year.