At a regular press briefing on August 18, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian addressed a reporter's query regarding reports that Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had directed the Australian National University and the University of Queensland to terminate cooperation agreements with China's Shandong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively.

Lin Jian stated that China opposes the overextension of the national security concept as a means to restrict or suppress normal international educational and scientific research collaboration.