# China fires back at Trump administration claims that its AI companies steal U.S. tech
Source: [https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/china-calls-us-ai-theft-claims-smear-sanctions-floated-rcna588813](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/china-calls-us-ai-theft-claims-smear-sanctions-floated-rcna588813)
July 22, 2026, 9:38 PM EDT/UpdatedJuly 22, 2026, 11:02 PM EDT
By[David Ingram](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/david-ingram-ncpn890161)
A Chinese government spokesperson fired back Wednesday at the Trump administration’s allegations that Chinese researchers are stealing American trade secrets about[artificial intelligence](https://www.nbcnews.com/artificial-intelligence)\.
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Beijing's commerce ministry accused American AI companies of using Chinese models for training via distillation, pushing back against US allegations of Chinese tech theft and threatening retaliation.
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