Some people in the U.S. have tried to hit and smear China without any evidence, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying Tuesday when refuting Trump's adviser Peter Navarro's groundless allegation about China made by his "fictional expert."

Peter Navarro, senior China adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, sold his China threat theory in his book "Death by China" published in 2011. In this supposedly non-fictional book, he quoted an expert named "Ron Vara" who was later found to not be real. 

Admitting that he invented the character, Navarro explained that "Vara" is a "whimsical device and pen name," purely for "entertainment value," adding that he was glad that someone has eventually found the "inside joke that has been hiding in plain sight for years."

Learning the shocking fact, Hua warned that making policies based on lies are not only ridiculous but are also "extremely dangerous" as it will threat the international order as well as harm the national interest of the U.S. in the long term.

Hua said that China feels pity that the U.S. uses lies to provoke wars in Iraq and Syria, noting that the U.S. continues to lie about Huawei, the Belt and Road Initiative, and issues related to China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

We urge the U.S. to do things based on principles, and hope people in the U.S. stay rational, the spokesperson stressed.

We also hope that the international community and reporters may keep a sharp eye on the opinion and statement made by some U.S. politicians, added Hua.

(Cover: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro listens to a news conference in Washington, U.S., March 4, 2019. /Reuters Photo)