BRUSSELS (BLOOMBERG) - Chinese phone makers such as Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi may pose an espionage risk for users, Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne warned in comments reported by Le Soir.

"Given the legal context in which Chinese smartphone producers operate, there is a risk that data contained on these smartphones could be exposed to espionage or at least an unwanted transfer to Chinese authorities," Van Quickenborne said in a formal response to a Belgian lawmaker obtained by the newspaper.

Le Soir said the minister was referring to Chinese legislation that requires companies to store data on Chinese servers and give Chinese authorities the right to access IT systems. His comments were prompted by a Lithuanian study on the cybersecurity of Chinese devices.

While Europe has been slow to follow a US crackdown on Chinese telecoms companies over fears of espionage and data theft, tensions with China have been rising following a row with EU member Lithuania. Belgium advised Olympic athletes competing in China this week to take precautions against potential hacking.

The newspaper cited Huawei's denial in September that that it intercepts user communications.

Huawei and the Belgian justice ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a statement on Feb 16, a Xiaomi spokesman said: "We reject the accusations in these reports, as the Belgian Security Services and the responsible minister say themselves - there is no evidence to support them."