Beijing Bashes 'Absurd' Pentagon Report on Alleged Chinese Military Threat

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday protested an annual report by the Pentagon that claimed its military was likely training to strike at the United States and its allies.

"The aforementioned report does not rely on real facts and makes absurd comments on China’s military construction… China strongly protests it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

He argued in a statement that China was following a peaceful path and described its military police as purely defensive in its nature.

The diplomat called on the United States to abandon its Cold War mindset and put an end to a "zero-sum" competition to promote a stable bilateral relationship.

The Chinese Defense Ministry reacted strongly to the US military’s annual report, saying late on Friday it had lodged a "stern representation" with the United States.

The Chinese military accused the Pentagon of "guesswork." It stressed the overhaul of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and enhanced cyber capabilities were justified.

The 2018 China Military Power report claimed the Chinese army rapidly developed overwater bombing capabilities in the past three years to engage targets "as far away from China as possible."

The study also commented on a buildup of the Chinese Navy’s fleet and on alleged systematic cyberattacks on US computer networks from Chinese territory through 2017.

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