China is denying any involvement in an espionage case in which a U.S. defense analyst pleaded guilty to passing on classified information to an alleged Chinese government agent.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, says the story is groundless. She says the aim of the case is to stir up fears that China is a threat to the rest of the world.
On Monday, U.S. Defense Department analyst Gregg Bergersen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to delivering classified information about U.S. and Taiwanese military relations to unauthorized persons.
Much of the information was related to U.S. military sales to Taiwan.
Bergersen told a U.S. court he thought his contact was aligned with Taiwan's defense ministry.
Prosecutors say the contact, Tai Shen Kuo of New Orleans, Louisiana, turned the information over to a Chinese national, Yu Xin Kang. Kuo and Kang are in jail awaiting trial.
Authorities say the evidence against Bergersen included a taped telephone conversation between Bergersen and Kuo, during which Bergersen acknowledged that he could go to prison for passing along classified information.
Bergersen faces a 10-year sentence.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.