NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has dismissed speculation that he might provide classified information to other governments as a smear and distraction. He adds with humor that if he were a Chinese spy, he could be "petting a phoenix in Beijing by now".

The statement was made during a live chat on an online forum run by Britain's The Guardian newspaper.

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has dismissed speculation that he might provide classified information to other governments as a smear and distraction.

"Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn't I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now."

"This is a predictable smear that I anticipated before going public, as the US media has a kneejerk RED CHINA!' reaction to anything involving HK or the PRC, and is intended to distract from the issue of US government misconduct."

Snowden's statement was made after US Former Vice-President Dick Cheney on Sunday told Fox News that Snowden was a traitor, and implied that he could be cooperating with the Chinese government.

China has also rejected Cheney's accusation. The Foreign Ministry called the allegation "sheer nonsense", and told Washington to come clean on the PRISM program. The former NSA and CIA contractor Edward Snowden earlier exposed the surveillance program, and revealed that the US government has been monitoring e-mail and phone communications outside the country.

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