Beijing has vowed to retaliate if the US Justice Department continues to press charges against Chinese police officers accused of harassing and intimidating dissidents in America.

Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said on Thursday that the US was "countering basic facts, professional conduct, and the spirit of the rule of law, and is weaponising and politicising the law".

"We urge the US to immediately stop taking the wrong approach, and if the US is bent on going its own way, China will resolutely take countermeasures," she said.

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Earlier this month, the US Department of Justice announced that a total of 44 people had been charged over what it said was a "transnational repression scheme" harassing Chinese nationals living in the US, including the New York metropolitan area.

Those charged include 40 Chinese police officers and two officials with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the county's internet watchdog.

A statement from the US Justice Department on April 17 announcing the charges said the defendants "allegedly perpetrated transnational repression schemes targeting US residents whose political views and actions are disfavoured by the PRC [People's Republic of China] government, such as advocating for democracy in the PRC".

The defendants, all of whom are believed to live outside the US, are accused of creating fake social media accounts to harass and intimidate Chinese dissidents living abroad, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, two American citizens - Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59 - have been arrested on suspicion of running an illegal Chinese police station in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Mao said the allegations of transnational repression were a "malicious fabrication" and accused the US of "fabricating and piecing together evidence".

The US had "engaged in political manipulation, exaggerating the 'China threat'", she said, noting that China firmly opposed the acts and had "made serious representations and strong protests with the US through diplomatic, law enforcement and other channels".

Mao's remarks came a day after the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for policing, "lodged stern representations and strong protests" with US Justice Department and FBI representatives based in Beijing.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the ministry accused the US of "consistently abusing its extraterritorial jurisdiction and long-arm jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries" and said China would resolutely counteract if it continued.

The ministry said it firmly opposed US law enforcement "using criminal cases as cover to engage in political manipulation" and "cooperating with the US government to smear and defame China under the pretext of law enforcement".

The ministry added that the charges "lack legal basis and are completely unfounded" and urged the US to "immediately stop political manipulation and judicial bullying".

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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