US ambassador Nicholas Burns revealed the figure in an interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday, highlighting a troubling trend for Americans who want to do business in China.

China last year launched a crackdown on US consultancy and due diligence firms, a move business lobbies have said unnerved foreign investors in the world's second-largest economy.

China expanded its counter-espionage law in July, much to the alarm of the United States, with wide-ranging updates including banning the transfer of any information related to national security and broadening the definition of spying.

'It's written in such a general way that it could be that American business people could be accused of espionage for engaging in practices that are perfectly legal and acceptable everywhere else in the world,' Burns said of the new counter-espionage law.

Last year, China's Ministry of State Security also called on its citizens to join counter-espionage work, creating tip lines for individuals to report suspicious activity and promising to commend and reward them.

The crackdown on purported spying has badly dented foreign investment in China, which the country sorely needs as its economy continues to lag following years of disruptions from harsh pandemic lockdowns.

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