Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying (Photo/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)

At the regular press conference on Thursday, a reporter asked about The New York Times report that says Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies have been listening to US President Donald Trump’s calls on his iPhone. The Times quoted American officials as saying that the Chinese government hopes to use what it is learning from the calls to keep trade frictions with the US from escalating further.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying responded by saying that certain people in the US are sparing no efforts to win the best screenplay award for the Oscars.

Hua Chunying then gave three suggestions.

First, she said that The New York Times should realize that such reports just provide more evidence to justify the claim that The Times is creating fake news. Second, she said that if certain people in the US are really concerned about calls made on their iPhones being eavesdropped on, then they can change to a Huawei smartphone. And if they want absolute security, she said they can stop using modern communication devices.

Hua's sense of humor and wise remarks won praise from internet users on the People's Daily app, who also dismissed The New York Times report as FAKE NEWS.