China will take resolute countermeasures if the United States takes actions to suppress Chinese artificial intelligence companies under the pretext of combating model distillation, the Ministry of Commerce said late Wednesday.

The ministry's comments came in response to allegations by US government agencies that "Chinese AI companies systematically mined US models" to train their own systems, a technical process known as model distillation.

A ministry spokesperson said in a statement that the accusations are groundless and legally unsound, calling them a politicization of a normal technical and commercial practice.

The commerce official said that model distillation is a common practice through which AI models learn from one another and is widely used by companies around the world, including US firms.

The technology can improve learning efficiency and facilitate more effective use of human knowledge, contributing to the development of the AI industry and helping make its benefits more broadly accessible, particularly to developing countries, the spokesperson added.

"The US approach also reflects a double standard," the spokesperson said, noting that China encourages open-source development and cooperation in AI and that Chinese open-source models are available to companies worldwide, including US businesses.

According to information released by the Ministry of Commerce, some US companies have also disclosed that they extensively used Chinese models for distillation in developing their own models.

Experts said growing restrictions on AI technologies risk turning normal technological and commercial activities into sources of geopolitical friction.

Yang Weiyong, an associate professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics, said attempts to restrict the practice on national security grounds could raise barriers to technological exchanges, increase development costs and further fragment the global AI innovation ecosystem.

Such restrictions could also undermine international AI cooperation and slow the broader application of advanced technologies, particularly in developing economies seeking affordable access to computing resources and AI capabilities, said Yang.

Zhao Minghao, a professor and deputy director of Fudan University's Center for American Studies in Shanghai, said China needs to recognize that Washington increasingly sees technological competition as a strategic contest, particularly in AI and other critical technologies, as it seeks to strengthen its competitive position.