China’s government has accused the US of trying to block its industrial development after Vice President Mike Pence said Chinese tech giant Huawei and other telecom equipment suppliers are a security threat. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday that Beijing would not use its companies to gather information about foreign companies, AP reports. Washington is trying to “fabricate an excuse for suppressing the legitimate development” of Chinese companies, according to the spokesman. Pence, speaking on Saturday in Germany, urged European governments to take seriously “the threat” posed by Huawei as they look for partners to build next-generation wireless infrastructure. Huawei denies accusations that it facilitates Chinese spying.