BEIJING — After Vice President Mike Pence excoriated China and American companies that he accused of selling out their principles to do business there, a sharp response from Beijing was to be expected. But perhaps not this sharp.

Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to Mr. Pence on Friday with an epic counterblast, accusing him of using China as a prop to distract from the United States’ failings.

Mr. Pence is one the Trump administration’s most vehement critics of China, and on Thursday he denounced American companies that he said had compromised American values like free speech to appease the Chinese Communist Party. He accused some N.B.A. owners and players of “siding with” the party in a controversy ignited by a Houston Rockets executive who expressed support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Ms. Hua stepped up to the podium to brief reporters in Beijing, made some announcements about diplomatic activities, and before a reporter could ask a question, unleashed a denunciation of Mr. Pence and his allies that lasted more than six minutes, lobbing virtually every stock taunt that the Chinese government keeps for such occasions.