It also is a prime example of what has vexed the Trump administration as China has reverted over the past 18 months<\/a> to the kind of intrusions into American companies and government agencies that President Barack Obama thought he had ended in 2015 in an agreement with Mr. Xi.<\/p>\n Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied any knowledge of the Marriott hacking. \u201cChina firmly opposes all forms of cyberattack and cracks down on it in accordance with the law,\u201d he said. \u201cIf offered evidence, the relevant Chinese departments will carry out investigations according to the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Trade negotiators on both sides of the Pacific have been working on an agreement under which China would commit to purchasing $1.2 trillion more of American goods and services over the next several years, and would address intellectual property concerns.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump said Tuesday that the United States and China were having \u201cvery productive conversations\u201d<\/a> as top American and Chinese officials held their first talks via telephone since the two countries agreed to a truce on Dec. 1.<\/p>\n But while top administration officials insist that the trade talks are proceeding on a separate track, the broader crackdown on China could undermine Mr. Trump\u2019s ability to reach an agreement with Mr. Xi.<\/p>\n American charges against senior members of China\u2019s intelligence services risk hardening opposition in Beijing to negotiations with Mr. Trump. Another obstacle is the targeting of high-profile technology executives, like Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of the communications giant Huawei and daughter of its founder.<\/p>\n The arrest of Ms. Meng<\/a>, who has been detained in Canada on suspicion of fraud involving violations of United States sanctions against Iran, has angered China. She was granted bail of 10 million Canadian dollars, or $7.5 million, while awaiting extradition to the United States, a Canadian judge ruled on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump, in an interview on Tuesday with Reuters<\/a>, said that he would consider intervening in the Huawei case if it would help serve national security and help get a trade deal done with China. Such a move would essentially pit Mr. Trump against his own Justice Department, which coordinated with Canada to arrest Ms. Meng as she changed planes in Vancouver, British Columbia.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I think it\u2019s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made \u2014 which is a very important thing \u2014 what\u2019s good for national security \u2014 I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary,\u201d Mr. Trump said.<\/p>\n American business leaders have been bracing for retaliation from China, which has demanded the immediate release of Ms. Meng and accused both the United States and Canada of violating her rights.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the International Crisis Group said that one of its employees, a former Canadian diplomat, had been detained in China. The disappearance of the former diplomat<\/a>, Michael Kovrig, could further inflame tensions between China and Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are doing everything possible to secure additional information on Michael\u2019s whereabouts, as well as his prompt and safe release,\u201d the group said in a statement on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n From the first revelation<\/a> that the Marriott chain\u2019s computer systems had been breached, there was widespread suspicion in both Washington and among cybersecurity firms that the hacking was not a matter of commercial espionage, but part of a much broader spy campaign to amass Americans\u2019 personal data.<\/p>\n While American intelligence agencies have not reached a final assessment of who performed the hacking, a range of firms brought in to assess the damage quickly saw computer code and patterns familiar to operations by Chinese actors.<\/p>\n The Marriott database contains not only credit card information but passport data. Lisa Monaco, a former homeland security adviser under Mr. Obama, noted last week at a conference that passport information would be particularly valuable in tracking who is crossing borders and what they look like, among other key data.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.blackopspartners.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/12DC-USCHINA-superJumbo.jpg\")