China opposes US sanctions on five firms linked to former Google engineer

China's commerce ministry has expressed “firm opposition” to US sanctions imposed on five Chinese companies. The US State Department applied the penalties following allegations that the firms were connected to Linwei Ding, a former Google engineer convicted of stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets.

One of the sanctioned entities, Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, was founded by Ding. The US government alleges the company sought to replicate Google’s superintelligence infrastructure technology. Other sanctioned entities are linked to the startup incubation program MiraclePlus, which provided seed capital to Zhisuan.

Beijing stated that the US actions “severely harm the legitimate rights and interests” of Chinese businesses and characterized the move as an attempt to smear Chinese enterprises. The commerce ministry maintained that China's AI advancements result from long-term investment in basic research and independent innovation, rather than theft. China has urged the US to correct its practices and noted it may take “necessary measures” in response.