Nuctech denied the assertions, claiming that data from its devices “belong to our customer[s] only,” and “by no means” go to the Chinese government. It also rejected claims that it had dominant shares of baggage and cargo screening, and that it priced anything below cost to thwart the competition. The EU found the company guilty of price dumping in 2010, but Nuctech has since set up a Polish factory to keep costs low.

The State Department didn’t directly confirm the strategy, but did state that the US was still asking allies to guar against companies “heavily subsidized by authoritarian regimes.”

Whether or not there’s any substance to the accusations, there are economic maneuvers invovled as well. The US is supposedly asking European nations to replace Nuctech equipment with American equivalents — it stands to benefit if the Chinese company gets kicked out. That’s a strong incentive to keep up the campaign, even if the surveillance claims are unwarranted.