> The polite open secret of espionage is that spying on your allies isn't just normal, it's part and parcel of basic modern statecraft.

And the corollary to the fact that spying on all of your enemies and all of your friends is considered a basic necessity for modern states: when political actors start press releasing accusations of spying, the aim is generally the manipulation of public opinion, not actual concern.

> There's really no need to suspect a commercial conspiracy when normal diplomacy is sufficient to explain this kind of thing.

I don't know that the two are particularly distinguishable.