China refutes Pentagon report on 'military power'

New Delhi, Mar 5: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China has strongly criticised a Pentagon report on China's military modernization, claiming that facts have been distorted.

"It is also an interference in China's internal affairs and violates norms on international relations. China is firmly opposed to it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing. Speaking on behalf of the Chinese Government, Gang urged the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and adopt the right attitude toward Beijing and its development. China pursues a path of peaceful development and a defensive national defence policy, The China Daily quoted Gang as saying further. He urged the US to adhere to the one-China policy and stop arms sales to Taiwan to avoid sending wrong signals to secessionist forces on the island.

In an annual report on China's military power, the US Defense Department had said on Monday that the international community has limited knowledge of the motivations, decision-making and key capabilities supporting China's military modernization. "The lack of transparency in China's military and security affairs poses risks to stability by increasing the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation," the report said.

"This situation will naturally and understandably lead to hedging against the unknown. "China's expanding and improving military capabilities are changing East Asian military balances; improvements in China's strategic capabilities have implications beyond the Asia-Pacific region."

ANI