Beijing: Reports of visa denials for Australian officials 'groundless'

Beijing on Thursday said that reports about denying Australian officials visas to China are groundless and do not exist.

Reuters quoted the Australian Financial Review as saying this week China had denied visas to Australian government officials to attend a major trade show.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull acknowledged on Thursday that legislation aimed at preventing foreign interference in politics had soured ties with China.

China always insists on developing friendly relations with other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Geng said at a daily news briefing.

"Any allegation saying China is intervening or infiltrating other countries is totally baseless and has ulterior motives," he said, adding that he hopes the relevant sides will respect objective facts and correctly view China's development.

He also noted that healthy and stable China-Australia relations conform to the interests of their people, and hopes Australia will work in the same direction with China.

China hopes Australia do more to promote mutual trust and bilateral cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment to ensure that China-Australia relations move forward on the right track, he added.