Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney hinted on June 16 that Edward Snowden might be working with the Chinese government and was in fact acting a spy for China. Spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying dismissed this claim as being "completely ridiculous." Hua made the statement during a regular press briefing on June 17.

The PRISM incident has stirred up quite the controversy in the United States. British paper The Guardian and U.S. publication The Washington Post both reported on June 6 the existence of PRISM, a secret computer hacking program jointly sponsored by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

PRISM has been reportedly tapping into a handful of U.S.-based Internet companies’ servers, gathering data in an attempt to collect intelligence. Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google and Apple are among those accused of having participated in the project.

The Guardian identified Edward Snowden, an employee of a U.S. defense contractor, on June 9 as the whistleblower on the PRISM program at his own request. Snowden also stated the program involves multiple international targets across Europe and Asia.

When asked whether China will demand the United States to give an explanation in regards to its Internet surveillance program, given that both Germany and Japan have already done so, Hua replied that the U.S. should take into account the concern both the international community and people all over the world have shown for this issue and should give the international community the necessary clarification.