US report on Chinese miliatry groundless: spokesperson

China has refuted a newly released Pentagon report which claims China's military might pose a threat to the US.

The report mainly focused on China's military and security developments suggests China's military has expanded its bomber operations in recent years while "likely training for strikes" against the United States and its allies.

In response, defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said that China has always been an advocate of global peace and stability, as demonstrated by its involvement in international peacekeeping and disaster relief missions, which he said have been widely praised. 

Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian [File Photo: mod.gov.cn]

As for China's military modernization, Wu said that China has been taking reasonable steps to protect its sovereignty. 

"China accelerated the process of military modernization to protect its national sovereignty, security, and development, as well as to maintain global peace, stability, and prosperity. China's military reforms, arms development, and the improvement of its cyber defenses are appropriate and rational," Wu says.

Wu also urged the United States to respect the One China policy, and said China's defense forces to continue to safeguard the country's territorial integrity. 

He also said China is committed to resolving disputes through dialogue and negotiation, and called the US move in the South China Sea "the real threat" to regional stability. 

"Apart from national defense purposes, China's activities in the South China Sea are intended to serve public demand to better perform its international responsibilities, while the US has sent warplanes and ships to the region in a provocative move under the guise of 'freedom of navigation', creating tensions. This is a real threat to the regional stability," Wu says.

Commenting on the release of the report, Wu called on the United States not to damage Sino-US ties with it. 

"The United States' so-called annual report on China's military and security developments damages the mutual trust and interests between our two countries. We ask the United States to abandon its Cold War mentality, view China's military activities from an objective perspective, and stop issuing such reports and safeguard the stable advancement of our military ties with action," he says. 

Wu restated China's position that it will follow the path of peaceful development and maintain a defensive military posture. 

Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry also urged Washington to make real efforts to maintain the stable development of bilateral relations.