Ministry blasts accusations of ‘Chinese threat’ made in US law

The Chinese military resolutely opposes the United States making baseless accusations and meddling in China's domestic affairs as highlighted in its National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesman for the ministry, said the $768 billion defense bill, signed into law by US President Joe Biden on Monday, demonstrates a Cold War mentality and ideological biases, with the intention of hyping up the so-called "Chinese threat" and smearing China's defense policy and military development.

Tan said the bill has made baseless accusations on issues related to Taiwan and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It has also encouraged countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America to enhance their deterrence against China, and has tarnished China's normal exchanges and cooperation with other countries.

"This bill has seriously interfered with China's domestic affairs, seriously undermined China's sovereignty, security and development interests, seriously damaged China-US mutual trust and poisoned their military-to-military relations and bilateral ties," he said, adding the Chinese military strongly opposes these actions.

Tan said China has always followed a path of peaceful development and upholds a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.

"China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a protector of international order and a provider of global security," he said.

"The US has frequently launched wars against other nations, leading to huge civilian causalities and displaced populations. It is the biggest threat to regional and world peace and stability," Tan said.

Tan said the US is brazenly interfering in China's domestic affairs, hyping up the so-called "Chinese threat", smearing China's development and emphasizing competition with China. "These actions have brought China-US military relations and bilateral ties into dangerous territory," he said.

The Chinese military urges the US to abandon its zero-sum game mentality, objectively view China's defense and military development, stop issuing hostile policies against China, stop framing China into a competitor or even an enemy of the US, and start taking positive measures for the healthy and stable development of China-US military relations and bilateral ties, Tan said.