BEIJING — China's foreign ministry on Thursday rejected US allegations that ships operated by the state-owned COSCO group secretly collected military intelligence for Beijing, dismissing the claim as fabricated and politically motivated. A ministry spokesperson said Washington was manufacturing a pretext for new sanctions.

The rebuttal followed statements by two senior Trump administration officials, reported earlier this week, accusing COSCO vessels of gathering intelligence near sensitive US and allied maritime installations. The officials said the alleged activity spanned commercial routes used by one of the world's largest container shipping firms.

COSCO, formally the China Ocean Shipping Company, operates hundreds of vessels and holds stakes in terminals across Europe, Asia and the Americas. The company has previously faced US scrutiny over its links to the Chinese military, and Washington has weighed restrictions on its port access and financing.

The Chinese spokesperson warned that any US move to blacklist COSCO ships or impose port restrictions would draw countermeasures. Beijing urged Washington to stop what it described as suppression of Chinese enterprises.

Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies have said further designations could disrupt global container traffic. The dispute adds strain to already tense US-China relations, coming as both governments spar over tariffs, technology controls and Taiwan.

Shipping industry groups in Singapore and Rotterdam have voiced concern that escalating measures could raise freight costs and complicate supply chains.