China: US claim that police officer recuited to spy is " pure fabrication"

The Chinese government said Tuesday claims by the United States that a police officer in New York City was recruited to spy for Beijing were "pure fabrication."

A New York City police officer was charged on Monday with being an "intelligence asset" for the Chinese government who agreed to spy on US supporters of the Tibetan independence movement.

"The relevant accusations made by the US side are pure fabrication," said Wang Wenbin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"The plot to discredit the Chinese consulate and personnel in the United States will not succeed," Wang said.

Baimadajie Angwang, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Tibet, worked since 2018 as an agent for the People's Republic of China in its effort to suppress the movement, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.

It says he secretly worked for unnamed handlers from the Chinese consulate in New York.

There was no allegation that Angwang compromised national security or New York Police Department operations.

Still, he was considered "the definition of an insider threat," William Sweeney, head of the FBI's New York office, said in a statement.

Angwang, 33, was ordered held without bail at an initial court hearing on Monday.

There was no immediate response to a phone message seeking comment from his lawyer.

China's spokesperson Wang also said that it was working with the World Health Organization on coronavirus vaccine development, despite reports that it had not joined a program by the world's top medical body to keep vaccine costs low by coordinating manufacturing and distribution.