I'm confused as to why anyone would strongly believe something like this without any tangible evidence. For one thing, there are hundreds of hardware hackers that look for things like this, so it seems like if it were an issue one of them would have found evidence of it. For another, China knows this and wouldn't want to risk their global reputation in trade for something (spying on average citizens) that would have very little payoff compared to the long-term economic damage it would do.

Besides, as another commentator pointed out, if you're going to be worried about a country spying on you, it should at least be your own country.

> But Lenovos must be bugged by the Chinese. How could they not be?

Instead of that, why don't you say Google must be bugged by the Americans. How could it not be? In fact, the main reason why the Chinese government banned Google is that all the data e.g. Gmails would be stored in a US server, which can be inspected by the American government any time if they want. It would be a nightmare for Chinese national security. Some other governments e.g. South Korea are realizing the same danger and are following suit by requiring their government/military officials to not use American services.

Compared with that, I'd say using Linux and having full control over the software is as private as you can get.

Where would such a bug be?

If you’re installing Linux, that wipes out software bugs (seems the most likely place to me). Lenovo provide details about the components and design, which means you could verify/replace things if you like. ThinkPads are trusted enough by the USG for various uses (though they seem to prefer Dell).

Personally I’m more freaked out by Intel’s Management Engine.

I think the same thing every time I see someone on HN recommend Lenovo. Glad someone is calling it out.

That said, if you're not Chinese/in China, the Chinese govt has little/no power over you, and probably isn't sharing what they collect on you with your govt, which does.

Thinkpads are used in the ISS (International Space Station)