China Daily                              December 22, 2024

   Zhang pointed out that the 2024 version of the China military power report, which was recently released by the US Department of Defense, distorts China’s defense policy, speculates on China’s military development, grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs, fabricates and defames against the Chinese military and sensationalizes the so-called Chinese military threat.

   China unwaveringly pursues the path of peaceful development, steadfastly adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and actively fulfills the international responsibilities of major power’s military, he said.

   Through concrete actions, China implements global security initiatives and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, providing more public security goods for the international community, he added.

   In contrast, the US uses its military advantages to uphold unipolar hegemony and incite «color revolutions», with military actions illegally launched in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan in recent years, resulting in extremely severe casualties, economic losses and huge humanitarian disasters, he noted.

   «These facts demonstrate the confrontational, aggressive and adventurous nature of the US military strategy is intensifying,» he said. «The US, addicted to war, has become the greatest disruptor of the international order and the biggest threat to global security.»

   Regarding nuclear policy, he stated that among all nuclear-weapon countries, China’s policy is the most stable, consistent and predictable, and it adheres to a self-defensive nuclear strategy and the principle of no first use of nuclear weapons.

   However, as the possessor of the world’s largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, the US persists in a policy of first use of nuclear weapons, conducting subcritical nuclear tests multiple times in recent years and accelerating the development of new nuclear warheads, severely undermining international and regional peace and stability, he added.

   Concerning the Taiwan question, he underscored that it is China’s internal affair, the core of China’s core interests and the first uncrossable red line in China-US relations.

   Regarding the drills conducted by the Chinese military in the airspace and waters near Taiwan, he said that they aimed at countering external interference and provocations by Taiwan separatists and are also necessary and just actions to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity.

   He pointed out that the US’ behavior of intensifying its military collusion with Taiwan and accelerating the arming of Taiwan through arms sales and aid have seriously violated the one-China principle.

   The US’ actions will only embolden Taiwan separatists, exacerbate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and even lead to conflicts and wars, he added, urging the US to cease official exchanges and military contacts with Taiwan and stop supporting and indulging «Taiwan independence».    He stressed that China attaches great importance to its military relations with the US, urging the US to stop fabricating false facts, correct its misconceptions of China and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations between the two countries and their militaries.