A view of the Australian University of Queensland (UQ) Photo: VCG

Hype about China's alleged infiltration into Australian higher education is based on non-fact and created with ulterior motives, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks at a routine press conference on Wednesday, in response to a query concerning Australian media reports that the Australian government was setting up a special team to investigate foreign influence in Australian universities, particularly targeted on China.

It is in line with both sides and peoples from China and Australia to carry out pragmatic cooperation and people-to-people cultural exchanges and to enhance mutual understanding, Geng said.

To politicize cooperation and to deliberately create barriers in the education sector benefits nobody and is against common wills, Geng noted.

Geng urged the Australian side to cherish bilateral cooperation and do more to advance Sino-Australian friendship and mutual trust.

The reports on China's alleged influence in Australian universities came after some Chinese mainland students were involved in a confrontation with protesters against the mainland's policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on the campus of Australian University of Queensland. 

The protesters also demanded the university to close the Confucius Institute.

Many Chinese students, who are currently studying in Australian universities, told the Global Times on Wednesday said that they found the government's launch of such an investigation "baffling" and "laughable." 

One student, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times that she was not aware of anyone officially assigned to conduct China-related activities on Australian university campuses.

The Australian plan was "groundless" and intended to defame China, the student said.

Meanwhile, she said she was not worried even if the Australian special team starts to supervise China-related activities in Australia because she believed the team could seek truth from facts and would find that China never infiltrated Australian universities.

Another Chinese student said he was concerned by such an appalling investigation and if the team was launched, they would make up fake evidence to justify their accusations anyway.

Australia's New South Wales (NSW), said it will ax local Confucius Institute program in 13 public schools across the state at the end of the year, Reuters reported. However, the NSW government said in a review issued on August 22, it found no specific evidence of interference.