BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Monday the United States should stop abusing the concept of national security and abusing Chinese companies after the U.S. designated tech firms Huawei [HWT.UL] and ZTE as national security risks.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments during a daily briefing.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 5-0 on Friday to designate Huawei and ZTE as national security risks, barring their U.S. rural carrier customers from tapping an $8.5 billion government fund to purchase equipment.

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Kim Coghill)