China denies spying

China's Foreign Ministry yesterday denied spying accusations made in a court case against a United States Defence Department official, accusing Washington of clinging to a "Cold War mentality".

James W. Fondren Jr., 62, was charged with giving classified documents to New Orleans furniture salesman Tai Shen Kuo, who pleaded guilty to spying for Beijing and was sentenced last year to nearly 16 years in prison.

The case is one of more than a dozen in the past few years involving either traditional spying or economic espionage related to China, prompting US officials to warn of increasing espionage efforts by Beijing.