China says is supports Belarus President Lukashenko

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday said China is opposed to "spreading false information under the guise of academic research," after Chinese state media reported two Australian scholars were barred from entering the country.

Earlier Thursday, the Chinese Communist Party's English-language newspaper Global Times cited unidentified sources in reporting two Australian scholars were banned from entering China but did not explain why.

The report noted, however, Australia had revoked the visas this month of two Chinese scholars.

Chen Hong and Li Jianjun were banned as part of an Australian crackdown on covert foreign interference in domestic politics and institutions.

The two Australian scholars said Thursday they had no intention of travelling there for fear for their personal safety.

Separately, China expressed support for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko following his inauguration, amid weeks of huge protests over his re election which the opposition says was rigged.

Lukashenko's inauguration hadn't been announced in advance and came as a surprise for many after nearly seven weeks of mass protests against his disputed re-election.

Opposition leaders dismissed the ceremony that had been prepared in secrecy as "a farce", and many European officials refused to recognize Lukashenko as the country's legitimate president.