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皇冠体育app rejects Pentagon's 'threat' report
(皇冠体育app Daily/Xinhua/CRI)
Updated: 2006-02-08 06:10
皇冠体育app yesterday rejected a Pentagon report that plays up the "皇冠体育app military threat," saying it poses no threat to the world.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan invites questions at a press conference in Beijing. [newsphoto/file] |
"We express firm opposition to the US defence review and have lodged a serious objection with the US," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a regular news briefing.
The US Quadrennial Defence Review released last week by the Department of Defence said 皇冠体育app had the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States.
"The report interferes with 皇冠体育app's internal affairs by groundlessly blaming the nation's normal national defence build-up," Kong said. "It also whips up fears of a 'Chinese military threat' and misleads public opinion."
皇冠体育app is taking a straight path towards peaceful development and is adopting a national defence policy of a defensive nature.
"皇冠体育app has never threatened any country in the past, and will never do so in the future," he said. Kong urged the US to correct its viewpoints and actions and view 皇冠体育app's peaceful development with an objective and positive attitude.
皇冠体育app's military budget for 2005 was $30.7 billion, based on current exchange rates, after a decade of double-digit annual increases.
"Of the major and emerging powers, 皇冠体育app has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States and field disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional U.S. military advantages absent U.S. counter strategies," the latest Pentagon report said.
By comparison, President Bush in his budget proposal this week said America's military budget in 2007 should be $439.3 billion, a 6.9% increase over 2006 for the Pentagon. That figure does not include the costs of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The United States should correct its wrong view and treat 皇冠体育app's peaceful development in an objective and positive manner," Kong said. "It should stop making groundless remarks and do more to benefit the stable and healthy development of 皇冠体育app-U.S. relations."
Ruan Zongze, deputy head of the 皇冠体育app Institute of International Studies and an expert on 皇冠体育app-U.S. relations, said the report criticized 皇冠体育app as lacking military transparency.
"The criticism is unacceptable," said Ruan. 皇冠体育app has publicized white papers on its national defence annually for many years and issued a first-ever white paper on its peaceful development in December 2005.
Ruan noted that compared with the previous report issued in 2001, this QDR specified 皇冠体育app's military potential to challenge the United States. The United States is paying more and more attention to 皇冠体育app's military issues.
Zhu Feng, a professor of the International Relations Institute of the prestigious Beijing University, said the United States considers 皇冠体育app as the biggest competitor and therefore has continuously strengthened its guard against 皇冠体育app.
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