BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday urged certain people in Australia to stop politicizing and stigmatizing the normal fulfillment of duty by Chinese diplomatic missions in Australia, and stop creating new obstacles in bilateral relations.
China expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to claims by certain Australian media regarding the Chinese consulate general in Sydney and related officials, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press briefing.
Wang said the Chinese diplomatic missions in Australia have been observing international law and basic norms governing international relations, and committed to facilitating friendly exchange and practical cooperation between the two sides.
Certain media's claim of "the consulate general and its officials are involved in infiltration" is just a malicious slander, and China deplores and strongly opposes that, Wang said.
He said China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. "We have never conducted and will never conduct any interference or infiltration against another country. This is not in our genes."
"Some in Australia are doing whatever they can to fan up anti-China sentiments and catch eyeballs by smearing and attacking China, which only poisons China-Australia relations," said Wang.
"We urge some in Australia to reject their Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, stop politicizing or stigmatizing the normal fulfillment of duty by Chinese diplomatic missions in Australia, and stop creating new obstacles in bilateral relations," he said.