US Senate passes sweeping bill to counter China tech reach

US Senate lawmakers have approved a massive spending plan to boost technology research and production.

The proposed measures come in the face of growing international competition, particularly from China.

A Beijing official hit back at the bill on Wednesday, saying it "exaggerated the 'China threat'".

The bill, which must pass the House of Representatives before being signed into law, is a rare point of agreement between Republicans and Democrats.

In a vote in the upper chamber of the US Congress, 68 of the 100-member Senate supported the measure, with 32 against. The Senate is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, and experts say the vote shows how the two political parties are united on the need to counter Beijing's economic and military ambitions.