China has called out American network equipment manufacturer Cisco Systems for assisting the US in its cyber spying efforts. The accusations come amidst rising tensions between the US and China due to online espionage issues.

In a China Youth Daily article widely circulated online on Tuesday, Cisco has been accused of working with the US army and government to infiltrate China's information networks. Cisco has denied the allegations of the state-run news agency, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Like Us on Facebook

In a statement, Cisco spokesperson John Earnhardt said the San Jose, California-based networking firm did not provide any electronic back doors for the US government using its products. The company also said it does not monitor the communications of both private and government clients anywhere in the world.

Last week, the US indicted five Chinese military officials who were accused of hacking the networks of major American enterprises and a trade union. Beijing has since denounced the indictments and accused the US of widespread surveillance in light of the revelations of former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.

In an opinion write-up posted on Monday, Communist-linked website The People's Daily said the US has brought up cyber espionage issues because it wanted to halt China's development, whitewash its own actions, and influence public opinion.

Last week, China's State Internet Information Office announced that the government would start implementing security examinations of imported equipment before selling them in the local market. Analysts view this move as China's retaliation for the US indictments.

Before the announcement of the indictments, China had said Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system (OS) would be banned on its government computers. According to state media, the move stemmed from security issues that cropped up after Microsoft's April announcement that it would retire the 12-year-old Windows XP OS.

Just this Tuesday, Bloomberg News said Chinese government agencies were taking a closer look at IBM servers in the country to see if they posed a threat to China's financial security.

In response to that move, IBM said it has been a "trusted partner" in the Asian country for over three decades and has not heard of any government directives recommending against the use of the company's servers in the Chinese banking industry.