China said Tuesday, June 25 the United States' accusations of Beijing facilitating the departure of fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden from Hong Kong were "groundless and unacceptable".

According to a Reuters report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing that all parties should accept that the Hong Kong government had handled Snowden's case in accordance with the law.

The White House said Hong Kong's decision was "a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship."