Spying claims denied; academic out on bail

Allegations of economic espionage leveled by the United States against Chinese universities and government-backed companies are completely groundless, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

It was commenting after a Chinese college professor facing spying charges in the US was granted bail.

Zhang Hao, a Tianjin University professor specializing in acoustics, was arrested in May after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport to speak at a conference.