US pledges to work with Germany over spy row

White House refuses to comment on reports about a German national who was allegedly spying for the US

The US government Monday pledged to work with Germany over an emerging spy row that is threatening to further damage their bilateral ties.

White House spokesperson Josh Earnest refused to comment on reports about a German national arrested last week over his alleged spying for the US, citing an ongoing investigation in Germany and the matter's link to intelligence.

"We're going to work with the Germans to resolve this situation appropriately," Xinhua quoted him as telling reporters at a daily news briefing, calling the relationship with Germany "incredibly important".

"This is a very close partnership that we have on a range of security issues, including some intelligence issues," he said. " That partnership is built on respect, and it's built on decades of cooperation and shared values."

The 31-year-old German, an employee of Germany's foreign intelligence service known as BND, has confessed passing information to a US intelligence agency about Berlin's inquiry into the spying activities of US National Security Agency (NSA), media reports said.