BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman on Monday described as "sheer nonsense" claims that a former U.S. intelligence contractor who is hiding in Hong Kong was an agent of China.
Hua Chunying made the comment at a daily press briefing after former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney expressed suspicion Sunday that Edward Snowden chose Hong Kong because he was an agent of China.
"This is sheer nonsense," Hua said.
The 29-year-old former CIA-employee fled Hong Kong on May 20 after exposing two classified U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programs, one collecting U.S. phone records and the other mining Internet data.
In Hong Kong, he provided The Guardian with top-secret documents that has led to a series of revelations about the extent of U.S. surveillance, to which several nations, including U.S. allies, have demanded explanations.
"The United States should take the concerns and demands of the international community and the public over this issue seriously, and give a necessary explanation," said the spokeswoman.
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China's Foreign Ministry sets up cyber security office
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up an office to deal with cyber security issues, a ministry spokeswoman announced Friday.
The cyber affairs office is responsible for diplomatic activities regarding cyber affairs, spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing. Full story
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