BEIJING (Xinhua) A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson on Thursday reaffirmed China’s commitment to peaceful development and a defense policy that is defensive in nature while denouncing the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the Fiscal Year 2025.
The U.S. NDAA inflated the so-called “China military threat” to justify increased military spending and maintain its global dominance, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said during a regular press conference in Beijing.
He accused the bill of grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs and undermining global peace and stability.
The U.S. Senate voted on Dec. 18 to pass the 895 billion-dollar NDAA, which approved military spending. This is a 1 percent increase from last year’s top-line price tag of 886 billion dollars.
“China does not engage in arms races with any country and remains a staunch defender of world peace,” Zhang said in response to a media query about the NDAA, which identifies China as one of the primary challenges to U.S. national security.
Zhang noted that the U.S. military expenditures, already the largest in the world, continue to grow rapidly year after year. This fully exposes the belligerent nature of the United States and its relentless pursuit of hegemony and expansion.
Zhang further highlighted the devastating impact of U.S.-led wars and military operations since 2001, which have caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of injuries and displaced tens of millions of people worldwide.
“We urge the United States to abandon its Cold War mentality and zero-sum mindset and to break free from its delusion of containing and outcompeting China,” he stated.
The spokesperson reiterated that the Chinese military would take firm countermeasures against any infringements or provocations to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.
