China Tuesday denies claims that it was involved in the Renault spying case.

Hong Lei, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that French accusations that China was behind the Renault spying case are groundless and irresponsible.

In a news conference, Hong said the Chinese government had noticed the reports and would not accept any claims that China stole secrets of Renault's electric vehicle project.

A staff at Renault China said there was no evidence that points to China and have not received any comments from French headquarter.

On Jan. 3, three senior executives of Renault were suspended for their involvement in leaking company secrets. The intelligence department of the French government who has a 15-percent stake in Renault was ordered to investigate whether China played a role in the case. The French national newspaper Le Figaro said the secrets were eventually obtained by Chinese buyers, citing informed sources.

China's business press carried the story above on Thursday. China.org.cn has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.