China urges relevant agency in New Zealand to stop spreading lies

China expressed firm opposition and urged the relevant agency in New Zealand to stop spreading lies and creating misperception, said Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on Thursday.

Mao made the remarks in response to a report that New Zealand's security service has accused China of being the most active country engaged in foreign interference in New Zealand.

In recent years, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service has repeatedly spread disinformation, groundlessly framed and attacked China, smeared the normal friendly exchanges between various sectors of the two countries, and harassed and intimidated Chinese people in New Zealand, which shows the relevant agency's ideological bias and Cold War mentality, Mao said.

This does no good to mutual trust and runs counter to the two countries' consensus of enhancing people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Mao said, adding that China deplores and opposes it.

China urges the relevant agency in New Zealand to stop spreading lies, stop creating misperception, and contribute more to people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries and the sound and steady development of bilateral relations, Mao said.

(Cover: A view of the main office building of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, July 23, 2025. /VCG)