China slams Washington Free Beacon report as ‘fake news’

Beijing (People’s Daily) – China on Wednesday slammed a Washington Free Beacon report as “fake news,” after the newspaper cited an alleged internal classified document accusing China pledged to increase aid to North Korea if the latter suspends nuclear tests.

“In a word, [it’s] fake news,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang in English at a daily news briefing on Wednesday.

The term “fake news” was typically used by US President Donald Trump on US media accusing the US government based on unverified documents. The term has also become popular in China.

The newspaper cited the “top-secret document,” allegedly issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China in September, saying that China hopes to bolster the North Korea with increased aid and defensive military support in exchange of Pyongyang halting further nuclear tests.

Geng also slammed the untenable as a fake document.

“Anyone with common sense can tell the document is fabricated,” Geng noted.

China has continuously expressed its commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, seeking to resolve the issue through peaceful means of dialogue and negotiation.