China Slams ASPI for Lies, Seeks Global Condemnation

China Condemns Australian Think Tank for Fabricating Lies About China

China has strongly condemned the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) for fabricating and spreading lies about China. This follows the think tank's suspension of its anti-China "research" due to funding cuts from the United States.

An ASPI analyst recently posted on social media that the freezing of U.S. aid had left the organization without sufficient anti-China materials. This has made it difficult for them to produce content attacking China. The analyst also urged the U.S. or other entities to immediately resume funding for their anti-China operations.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the post was a self-exposure of the ASPI's own scandal. It once again revealed its "hypocritical anti-China nature" of manufacturing lies and smearing China under U.S. sponsorship.

"There is no credibility to speak of for this so-called institute," she said. Mao added that the ASPI has received long-term funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, diplomatic agencies, and arms manufacturers. This indicates that the institute serves the interests of its financial backers.

The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. government grants have accounted for roughly 10 to 12 percent of the ASPI's funding. These grants have financed about 70 percent of its China research since 2019.

In its latest annual report, the ASPI said it received nearly $1.9 million in U.S. State Department grants during the 2022-23 financial year.

Mao said the ASPI's "research findings" lack basic factual grounding and violate the professional ethics expected of academic research. They have repeatedly been exposed as disinformation.

She expressed hope that all sections of Australian society and the international community can distinguish right from wrong. She urged them to collectively denounce and resist the ASPI's disgraceful acts of fabricating and spreading false information.