Edward Snowden, a former Central Intelligence Agency employee who leaked the US government’s Prism surveillance programme, has denied allegations that he was a spy for China.
Snowden, who is believed to be in Hong Kong, told the Guardian that he had no contact with the Chinese government.
He was quoted by the Guardian as saying that: "This is a predictable smear that I anticipated before going public…Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn’t I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now."
Snowden said that the truth about the extent of surveillance would be exposed, even if he does not reveal any details.
China has also denied claims that Snowden was spying for the country and said the allegations are groundless.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: "Such a notion is totally groundless."
US President Barack Obama and the head of the US National Security Agency (NSA), Keith Alexander, have defended surveillance programmes citing security concerns.
