US Attorney General William Barr has accused Hollywood and US tech firms of “collaborating” with the Chinese government to do business there.
Companies like Disney routinely agreed to censor films while Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Apple were “all too willing” to work with Beijing, he said.
Such actions risked undermining the liberal world order, Mr Barr added.
His intervention is the latest criticism of China by White House and other US officials.
Tensions between the US and China have been rising over a host of issues. The US this week removed Hong Kong’s preferential trade status, after China brought in a controversial new security law for the territory.