The U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday a Chinese state-sponsored contract hacker was arrested last week in Italy at the request of Washington, but the arrested man claimed he is a victim of mistaken identity.

China accused the US of using long-arm jurisdiction to detain an alleged Chinese hacker in Italy, in a dispute that threatens to turn into another point of friction in bilateral ties.

Italian authorities arrested a Chinese national accused by the United States of working at the direction of Beijing to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from U.S. universities, immunologists and virologists.