China, Russia listen to Trump cellphone calls

Chinese spies often eavesdrop on President Donald Trump when he uses his unsecure cellphone to gossip with old friends, and Beijing uses what it learns to try to sway US policy, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing current and former US officials.

Trump's aides have repeatedly warned him that his cellphone calls are not secure and that Russian spies routinely eavesdrop on the conversations, but they say the president still refuses to give up his cellular phones, the Times reported.

The officials said US spy agencies had learned from people in foreign governments and by intercepting communications from foreign officials that China and Russia were listening to the president's calls.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Times report.

China has a sophisticated approach toward the intercepted calls and is seeking to use them to determine what Trump thinks, whom he listens to and how best to sway him, the Times reported, cited the officials.

Beijing yesterday dismissed the New York Times report as "fake news" and joked the US president should switch to a Chinese phone.

When asked about the report at a regular news briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said "certain people in the US are sparing no efforts to win the best screenplay award at the Oscars".

Russia, too, dismissed the eavesdropping allegations.

"We already treat these sort of stories with a certain humour," said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.