Certain politicians are twisting facts to undermine bilateral ties with Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday, days after a new claim that Beijing is pursuing to extend its influence in the UK.

Hua said the increase of the number of diplomatic personnel is to better serve the growing ties between the two countries.

The past decade has seen sound development in China-UK bilateral relations. During these years, trade between the two countries doubled, Chinese investment in the UK increased 20 times and Chinese students in the UK increased from 100,000 to 220,000, she noted.

Hua said it's reasonable to increase the number of staff in the UK to better serve the need of a booming bilateral relationship. The UK has also increased the number of staff in China as needed, she added.

Hua said it's quite clear that some people deliberately twist and smear the normal exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

Ties between China and the UK have become increasingly strained in recent months amid disputes over Hong Kong's national security law as well as Britain's move to block Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from participating in its 5G rollout.