Chinese tech giant Alibaba has vehemently denied allegations that it provided technological support to Beijing for military operations targeting the United States. According to a report by AFP, Alibaba dismissed a recent media report as “completely false.” The allegations stemmed from a White House memo, cited by the Financial Times (FT), which claimed Alibaba was assisting Chinese military activities against the US.

The memo specifically outlined that Alibaba was allegedly supplying customer data, including “IP addresses, WiFi details, and payment records,” to Chinese authorities and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). However, the Financial Times noted its inability to independently verify these claims, while underscoring that the White House considers such actions a significant threat to US national security.

In response to these serious accusations, an Alibaba Group spokesperson told AFP that “the assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false.” The company further characterized the memo as a “malicious PR operation” explicitly designed to “undermine President Trump's recent trade deal with China.”

This incident highlights the escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington, particularly concerning their race for technological dominance. Following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House earlier this year, trade relations between the two largest economies have intensified, marked by months of reciprocal tariffs. A temporary one-year truce was eventually reached between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late October.

Concurrently, a spokesperson for China's embassy in the United States, Liu Pengyu, also refuted the claims presented in the reported memo. Pengyu stated on X that “The Chinese government... will never require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in foreign countries in violation of local laws,” reinforcing China's official stance.

The report also brought to light broader concerns within the US regarding China's potential deployment of advanced spying technology. In a related development, California-based artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced on Thursday that it had successfully identified and thwarted what it believes to be the first recorded cyber-espionage operation primarily conducted by autonomous AI systems. Anthropic attributed these activities to a “Chinese state-sponsored group” designated as GTG-1002.

When questioned about the Anthropic report at a news conference on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated he was “not familiar with the specifics.” He reiterated, however, that Beijing has consistently opposed all forms of hacking activities.