BEIJING, Jan. 4 -- China firmly opposes adverse provisions against China in the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and lodges solemn representations to the United States, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), said in a statement released on Monday.
Ren made the remarks when asked to comment on the newly passed Act and another Consolidated Appropriations Act recently signed by US President Trump.
According to media reports, the US Congress last Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes several China-related provisions proposing the adoption of whole-government strategy to impose costs on China and establishing "Pacific Deterrence Initiative" to counter the development of Chinese military. The Act continues the super power's meddling in China's internal affairs by supporting selling arms to Taiwan and interference in issues concerning Hong Kong and Xinjiang. In addition, US president Trump also signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which supports normalization of arms sales to Taiwan and the island's entry into international organizations.
The spokesperson summarized the two Acts as "stick to the Cold War mentality, hype the so-called ‘China military threat’ and the China-US strategic competition, and violate norms of international relations". The two Acts are a gross interference in China's internal affairs as well as a major breach of the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, said Ren, adding that such Acts also severely damage the development of China-US relations and mil-to-mil relations and harms China's sovereignty, security and development interests. "China is strongly opposed to such Acts and lodges solemn representations to the United States."
The spokesperson stated that China is always committed to peaceful development, upholds a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and firmly pursues the national defense policy that is defensive in nature and the military strategy of active defense. China is the builder of world peace, contributor to global development, and the maintainer of international order, said Ren.
Ren pointed that in recent years the Chinese military has provided more public security goods to the international community in the areas of the UN peacekeeping operations, merchant ships escort operations at high seas, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). Especially since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese military has actively carried out anti-pandemic international cooperation and contributed to the building of a global community of health for all, said the spokesperson.
Facts have fully proven that the development of the Chinese military brings hope and security to people around the globe rather than threats and challenges, Ren said, adding that the Chinese military is always a staunch force for safeguarding world peace and stability. Out of its own interests, the US touts the "Pacific Deterrence Initiative", keeps increasing its military presence in Asia-Pacific region, hypes up military races and creates military confrontation in the region, Ren said.
"These moves exposed the consistent hegemonic nature of the US, which will do no good to the globe but aggravate regional tensions and undermine world peace, and will also eventually harm the interests of the US", emphasized Ren.
He stressed that issues concerning Taiwan, Hongkong and Xinjiang matter for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are totally China's internal affairs, allow no foreign intervention. " China remains unwavering in its resolve to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests," said Ren, stressing that Taiwan is an indispensable part of China and any attempt by the US to contain China with the Taiwan question will lead nowhere.
China firmly opposes any form of official contacts and military ties between any country and Taiwan, and will never allow any people, organization or political party to split any part of Chinese territory from the country at any time, in any form, the spokesperson warned.
"The Chinese People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," stressed the spokesperson.
Ren urged the US side to follow the trend of time featuring peace and development and discard its Cold War mentality and concept of zero-sum game, view the development of China and its military in an objective way. "We urge the US side to stop its meddling in China's internal affairs and refrain from implementing the China-related provisions in the two Acts, we also expect the US side could work with China to jointly maintain bilateral state and military relations between the two countries, and protect world peace and stability”.