Wu Jinglian, a Chinese economist and senior researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC) told in an interview with China News Agency that some reports of him working as U.S. spy was pure rumor.

DRC, which Wu is working for, on Friday had also publicly issued a notice on its website www.drc.gov.cn, saying reports of Wu's espionage was not justified and that Wu's life and work was normal, in response to some people's care and concerns for him.

Previously, some overseas media had reported Wu was arrested on suspicious spying work, reported the China News Agency on Friday.

Wu had returned to his Beijing apartment from a meeting in northern city Tianjin on Aug. 29, and said he was shocked at such windy rumors, the agency reported.

As a well-known economist and academic heavyweight in the eyes of the media, Wu was as much recognized as he was talked about for his often bold and sharp argumentations.

The 78-year-old economist had been visiting scholars in prestigious universities such as Yale, Stanford and MIT in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2008)