China voices strong dissatisfaction over US report on Chinese military

Defense Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujun on Saturday expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to a Pentagon report that he said has misrepresented China's military development.

In an annual report on China's military activities, the US Defense Department hyped up "China's military threat" and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defense policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea, Yang said.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said, adding that the US side has always been suspicious.

Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha Islands serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

It is the United States that has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region. Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the United States pushed forward the militarization in the South China Sea with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.

He said China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief.

The US annual report on China's military and security developments has severely damaged mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the US side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.