Google disclose on Wednesday that personal Gmail accounts of several hundred people had been breached.

China on Thursday denied allegations that it had any involvement in efforts to hack into Google email accounts of US officials and other prominent figures.

The claim by the world's?search engine giant immediately sparked an angry response from?China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which said the claim was "groundless and unacceptable,"?increasing tensions in an already strained relationship with Google.

Google disclosed on Wednesday that personal Gmail accounts of several hundred people, including senior United States government officials, military personnel and political activists, had been breached, The Associated Press reported.

Google?found the origin of the attacks?was located in?Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, AP said.

China is firmly?against activities that?undermine Internet and computer security, including hacking, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei?said yesterday.

"Hacking?is a global problem and Chinese networks?also falls victim to it," he said. "China is?taking efforts?to crack down on the problem."

But he didn't answer the question about?whether the government would?probe into?this specific incident.

"Allegations that the Chinese government supports hacking activities are completely unfounded and made with ulterior motives," he said.

Google said the hacking victims had been notified and their accounts had been secured.

According to AP, this time around, the hackers appeared to rely on tactics used to fool people into believing they are dealing with someone they know or a company that they trust. Once these "phishing" expeditions get the information needed to break into an e-mail account, the access can be used to send messages that dupe other victims.

According to a report of Xinhua news agency, Google had "provided no solid proof" to support its claims the attacks originated in China. It said Google's complaints had "become obstacles for enhancing global trust between stakeholders in cyberspace."

It was the second time that Google arbitrarily pointed its finger at China, it said. Last year, Google accused the Chinese government of supporting hacker attacks against it and pushed China to abandon legal regulations on the Internet by threatening to withdraw from the Chinese market, it said.

Last year, Google?brought in the US National Security Agency, a spy agency, to help with its?probe into cyber attacks against it, even though the cooperation was considered to be a serious threat to Internet neutrality, Xinhua said.

The attacks were traced to computers at Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School, according to the New York Times.

Lanxiang Vocational School is famed for training chefs, Xinhua said.

AP said Washington was investigating Google's claims while the FBI said it was working with Google following the attacks - the latest directed at multinational companies that have raised global concerns about Internet security.

Andrew Davies of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, an independent security and defence think tank, said governments needed to pay more attention to hacking no matter where it originated.

"I think there has been a certain lack of appreciation of the looming threat around the world," Davies said.