Spying accusations made against China during a court case involving a US Defense Department official are entirely imaginary, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman told a regular press conference yesterday.

"This is not the first time we have heard these kinds of accusations. The so-called espionage activities conducted by China in the United States, are inventions fabricated to suit a particular agenda," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said when answering a question regarding the case.

"We urge the US to abandon its Cold War mindset, stop making groundless accusations against China, and do more to improve mutual trust between the two nations and friendship between the two peoples," he added.

James Wilbur Fondren Jr., a 62-year-old retired US air force Lieutenant Colonel and deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, was charged Wednesday by the US Justice Department with "leaking classified documents" between November 2004 and February 2008 to Tai Shen Kuo, a Taiwan native living in the US, who was alleged to have subsequently passed the information to the Chinese mainland.

(China.org.cn May 15, 2009)