China urges the United States to stop overstretching the concept of security, and to cease slandering and disrupting China's economic and trade cooperation with other countries, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks when asked to comment on allegations from U.S. officials and analysts, who have said that Chinese companies have built a network of ports around the world in order to exercise control over global commerce, conduct so-called espionage and take other moves.

"We hope the U.S. side will stop overstretching the concept of security, cease its peddling of the so-called China threat, and stop slandering and disrupting China's economic and trade cooperation with other countries," Lin stressed.