A spokesman for Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs said in response to media queries that it had not been formally contacted by the Chinese authorities about the case of Straits Times journalist Ching Cheong.

"We understand his arrest is on a matter that is not related to the Singapore Government," the spokesman said, but added that the Singapore embassy in Beijing "has approached the Chinese side to enquire into the welfare" of the detained journalist.

Earlier Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry accused Ching, 55, a Hong Kong citizen with permanent resident status in Singapore, of espionage and claimed he confessed after being detained on April 22 in the southern city of Guangzhou.

"Ching has admitted that in recent years he has been following the instructions of overseas intelligence organisations and has undertaken intelligence collecting activities on mainland China," the Chinese foreign ministry said without naming any foreign country.

"He has collected a large amount of spy fees. China is currently carrying out further investigations on his espionage activities."

Ching holds a British national (overseas) passport, like many other residents of Hong Kong, a former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

China generally avoids jailing foreign journalists, preferring to deport them instead, but considers Hong Kong citizens to be Chinese nationals.

Ching's wife Mary Lau told AFP on Monday her husband was detained while trying to obtain a sensitive manuscript of secret interviews with deposed Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang.

Zhao, a former premier and secretary general of the Communist Party, was purged in 1989 after opposing the decision to use force to quell the six-week-long Tiananmen Square democracy protests that year.

His inside knowledge of what led to the decision by Chinese leaders to order troops to open fire on demonstrators would be explosive material in China.

The Straits Times' publishing company expressed shock at the charges against Ching, who has been working for the daily since 1996.

"Until we see incontrovertible evidence, we stand by our belief that he has always acted in the best interests of The Straits Times," Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) said in a statement.

SPH, listed on the Singapore Exchange, is one of the most profitable media companies in Asia. Singapore has extensive political and business links with China.

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