Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press briefing on July 10, 2020. (Photo from Foreign Ministry website)

The Chinese government has always asked Chinese companies with overseas operations to comply with international and local laws and regulations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, in response to media questions over the so-called "data leak hazard" of a Chinese-built data center in Papua New Guinea.

Zhao made the remark in response to media questions over reports by an Australian media outlet over a data center in Papua New Guinea built by Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, which the report said "exposed secret government files to the risk of being stolen."

Huawei was unavailable for comment as of press time.

While the Chinese spokesperson said he was not aware of the specific report in question, Zhao said the Chinese government resolutely opposes repeated smearing efforts against Chinese companies by media outlets from certain countries.