Alibaba questioned the motives of the anonymous leak, and called it a malicious effort to undermine Donald Trump’s trade deal. (AFP pic)
WASHINGTON: Washington has accused online marketplace company Alibaba of providing technological support for Chinese military operations against targets in the United States, the Financial Times said on Friday, citing a White House memo.
The national security memo includes declassified top secret intelligence on how the Chinese group supplies the People’s Liberation Army with capabilities that the White House believes threaten US security, the FT reported.
The report did not specify which capabilities or operations were involved, or whether the US was seeking to respond in any way.
Alibaba shares traded in the US were down 4.2% after the news.
“The assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false,” Alibaba said in a statement.
“We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits that they cannot verify. This malicious PR operation clearly came from a rogue voice looking to undermine President Trump’s recent trade deal with China.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
