"China has not been engaged in any so-called economic espionage in Canada," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced at a news conference.

Qin made the statement when asked to comment on a report that a senior Canadian official had accused China of conducting espionage activities in Canada, stealing information on Canadian industry and technology.

"The accusation against China is completely groundless and irresponsible," Qin said, adding that China is seriously concerned about the accusation.

"We hope the Canadian government can make a clear distinction between right and wrong, and promote rather than harm the healthy development of Sino-Canadian relations," Qin said.