China on Friday said it had recently uncovered a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) "case of espionage", accusing a Chinese national of providing "core secret information" for money.

The Ministry of State Security said in a statement that the suspect, surnamed Zeng, had been sent to Italy for studies and was befriended by a CIA agent stationed at the US embassy in Rome.

Zeng, 52, signed a contract with the US and received training before returning to China to carry out espionage activities, the ministry said.

It added that the CIA agent convinced Zeng to provide "sensitive information on the Chinese military" in exchange for "a huge amount of compensation", and helped Zeng and the family move to the US.

Officials did not say when the alleged events took place.

"After meticulous investigation, the state security authority obtained evidence of Zeng's espionage activities and took coercive measures against Zeng in accordance with the law to eliminate the threat in a timely manner," the statement read.

China earlier this month called on its citizens to participate in counter-espionage work, following an expansion of its anti-spying law in July. (AFP/Reuters)