ISTANBUL 

Beijing rejected on Thursday that Chinese-made drones were used to capture high-resolution images of critical infrastructure in the UK, saying that it "has never and will never require companies to store data through illegal means."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian voiced “firm opposition” to what he called “groundless accusations and smears against Chinese companies,” according to China’s state-run Global Times.

He called on the UK to “stop politicizing and overstretching the concept of national security in matters of normal trade and economic cooperation.”

The remarks came after Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that British officials were concerned about Chinese-manufactured drones having been utilized to photograph key national infrastructure sites.

In a separate comment, Lin addressed US tariffs imposed during the Trump administration, saying they had “created unprecedented difficulties and challenges for the UN and multilateralism.”

His remarks followed reports that Beijing plans to convene an informal UN Security Council meeting next week on the impact of the tariffs.

“China supports the international community in leveraging various platforms, including the Security Council, to foster discussions, deepen understanding of the dangers of unilateralism and bullying, reaffirm commitment to multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and build consensus on strengthening the role of the UN and safeguarding the legitimate development rights and interests of all countries,” he said.