Beijing has dismissed a report by Japan-based Kyodo News regarding the April meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump as "sheer groundless remarks that don't even deserve refutation".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comment on Monday during a daily news conference in Beijing when asked about the report.
The report quoted an unnamed "source" as saying China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, asked on behalf of the Chinese government during the meeting for the United States to fire Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, in return for exerting more pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Geng suggested Kyodo News, "a major media organization", should "cherish its reputation", and said the report was "groundless" and "hype". Kyodo is a nonprofit organization founded in 1945, according to the company's website.
"I don't know if it is because Kyodo News was so puerile to have believed that China and the US would discuss the appointment or removal of US military personnel at diplomatic occasions, or its business was so bad that it had to get by making trouble out of nothing and selling hype.
"Or because it had ulterior motives and deliberately spreads rumor to achieve certain goals," Geng added.
Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, expressed doubt about the motives of the report, saying it was "not coincidental" that it has been released at this time.
Uncertainties in China-US ties have been significantly reduced since the meeting between Chinese and US leaders in Florida in April, Ruan said, adding that the report shows that Japan doesn't want to see a smooth development of China-US ties and was attempting to sow discord between the two countries.
However, Japan won't succeed in such an attempt, as the healthy development of China-US ties is "a general trend", Ruan said.
