The Defense Ministry on Thursday refuted a media report alleging that Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek is aiding the country's military and intelligence operations, calling the accusation a "slander and smear."

Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang made the remarks during a regular news conference in Beijing, in response to a Reuters article that cited a senior US official speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We object to any slander and smear against the Chinese side," Zhang said in a brief rebuttal.

According to the Reuters report, the US official claimed that DeepSeek was referenced more than 150 times in procurement records related to China's People's Liberation Army and other entities linked to the Chinese defense industrial base. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the procurement data.