Beijing accused Washington on Friday of "undermining" scientific cooperation after the US Defense Department said dozens of American universities had cut ties with certain foreign institutions, including some in China, citing security risks.
The two governments are jostling for influence in science and technology and have often accused each other of security threats and interference.
The United States Defense Department announced on Monday that 30 US universities had "fully mitigated" their ties with a list of institutions that pose a "concern to national security".
The docket, most recently published in July, lists dozens of Chinese military, scientific and technological institutions, as well as ones in Russia and Iran.
"China is always opposed to the US practice of overstretching the concept of national security," a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said in response to a question about the US Defense Department's announcement.
"The relevant actions taken by the US side essentially coerce American institutions into 'picking sides'," the unnamed spokesperson said in a statement.
"Deliberately undermining normal scientific cooperation between China and the United States will only weaken the US' own scientific progress and innovation."
China would take "necessary measures" to protect its institutions, the spokesperson said, warning the US to stop imposing "discriminatory and restrictive measures" against them.
