China urges New Zealand to stop spreading lies, creating discord: spokeswoman

China has voiced strong opposition to accusations from New Zealand, calling on its agencies to halt the spread of misinformation and avoid actions that damage bilateral ties, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Mao made the statement in response to recent criticisms from New Zealand, particularly those from its intelligence and security services.

"In recent years, New Zealand's intelligence and security agencies have repeatedly spread rumors and made unwarranted smears and attacks against China, tarnished the normal and friendly exchanges between China and various sectors of New Zealand society, and harassed and intimidated the Chinese community in New Zealand. These actions reflect ideological bias and a Cold War mentality on the part of the relevant New Zealand institutions, which are not conducive to mutual trust and run counter to the two countries' shared commitment to enhancing people-to-people exchanges," said Mao.

"China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this, and urges the relevant New Zealand departments to stop spreading lies and creating discord, and to do more to promote the healthy and stable development of China-New Zealand relations," she said.

China urges New Zealand to stop spreading lies, creating discord: spokeswoman

China urges New Zealand to stop spreading lies, creating discord: spokeswoman

The United States' threats to acquire Greenland have met strong opposition among locals on the island, and some Greenlandic residents described the U.S. attempt as utterly ridiculous.

"I don't like it at all. I think it is preposterous. We are free people, and we don't wish to become a part of the United States. So I think it's a very bad proposal," said Greenlandic writer Kelly Berthelsen.

"I think they are lying. They don't want to make us a state. Because I think they will make us a smaller area that doesn't have the same status as a state," said Alibak Hard, a flight coordinator at a Greenland-based helicopter company.

Greenland has a self-governing government within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining authority over its defense and foreign policies. The United States maintains a military base on the island.

Since returning to the White House in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to "obtain" Greenland by any means. On Friday, he even threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not support his Greenland plan.

On January 12, Randy Fine, a Republican congressman from Florida, proposed a bill authorizing Trump to take all necessary measures to annex Greenland and eventually make it "officially a state of the United States."

Locals strongly oppose U.S. threats to seize Greenland