Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to reports that the head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) wrote on social media that because of the U.S. funding freezing, the institute lacks anti-China materials and cannot produce contents attacking China, urging the U.S. or other organizations to immediately fund relevant anti-China agenda.

Mao said that the so-called research institute in Australia has long been funded by the U.S. defense and diplomatic agencies and arms dealers; it serves the interests of its donors and has propagated a long list of lies against China; and its so-called "research findings" lack basic factual grounds and have been proved as disinformation many times, which clearly violates the professional ethics of academic research. "There is no credibility to speak of for this so-called research institute."

What the head of the institute revealed on social media exposes once again its hypocritical nature of creating lies and spreading disinformation to vilify China with funding from the United States, said Mao, adding that it is hoped that people in Australia and the international community will see clearly what kind of institute ASPI really is, and join the voices denouncing and resisting its disinformation campaigns.