"Some people keep making up stories, I don't know what their intentions are," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

"We resolutely oppose and crackdown on cyber crimes, including hacking."

Jiang was commenting on a Wall Street Journal report that computer spies hacked into the Pentagon's 300-billion-dollar Joint Strike Fighter project.

The newspaper cited unnamed former US officials as saying the attack appeared to have originated in China, which the Pentagon says has put a priority on bolstering its cyber-warfare capability.

Hackers may have attacked computer networks at contractors helping to build the new fighter jet, also known as the F-35, the paper said.

Despite the computer break-in, a Defence Department official said sensitive technology for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft had not been compromised.

The Wall Street Journal report was the latest in a series of accusations emanating from the United States recently that have warned of an escalating Chinese cyber hacking threat. China has denied all such reports.

earlier related report
US cyberspace head says security needs team effort
The leader of a major US government review of cyber security told computer defense professionals on Wednesday that protecting the country online would require their efforts.

A 60-day review of the US communications and information infrastructure identifies 250 "needs, tasks, and recommendations," said Melissa Hathaway, the acting head of cyberspace for the US national and homeland security councils.

The report on the country's communications and information infrastructure was completed on April 17 and is now on President Barack Obama's desk for review.

"When the report is made public you will see there is a lot of work for us to do together," Hathaway told an audience of computer security experts in San Francisco.

"Cyberspace will not be secured overnight on the basis of one plan. As they say, this is a marathon not a sprint."

Hathaway said the findings of the report will not be discussed publicly until after they are reviewed by Obama and his administration.

She playfully likened the task of evaluating US cyber security needs in 60 days to a seemingly overwhelming assignment meted out at the start of a popular classic television show "Mission Impossible."

The theme music from the show played as she began her presentation.

"The days have been long and the task has been hard, hence the 'Mission Impossible'," Hathaway quipped.

"Sixty days included Saturdays and Sundays. I had to watch it as a pep talk to get through the last 48 hours."

Hathaway said the US is at "a crossroads" with cyberspace underpinning promise and perils.

"I stand before you today with no less than three BlackBerries and a pager, one of which is going to self-destruct by the end of this speech," Hathaway said, playing off a trademark gimmick in "Mission Impossible."

Hathaway said "a growing array of state and non-state actors" are out to compromise or steal information online.

"We have witnessed countless intrusions," Hathaway said. "They even have the ability to damage portions of our infrastructure."

Hathaway conceded that it could be fair to contend the US government is not organized properly to foster the collaboration and sharing needed for cyber security.

No single government agency should oversee cyber defenses and the US needs to work with other nations as well as computer specialists in the private sector, Hathaway said.

Her remarks came a day after National Security Agency director Lieutenant General Keith Alexander said that his agency does "not want to run cyber security for the US government."

Alexander said the NSA should focus on cyber defenses for the US military while the Department of Homeland Security ensures Internet safety for civilians.

"No single agency has a broad enough perspective to match the sweep of the challenges," Hathaway said.

"It requires leading from the top. Information is key to detecting, preventing and responding to cyber incidents. This requires developing partnerships."

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