BEIJING, Dec. 24 -- On December 24 Beijing time, the US President signed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which contains a number of China-related provisions. "China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the US's move, and has lodged solemn representations with the US side," said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, in a statement released on Saturday.
The FY 2023 NDAA involves a number of negative provisions regarding China, plays up the so-called "China Threat" in disregard of facts, interferes into China's internal affairs wantonly, and makes up excuses for expanding military expenditures and maintaining hegemony. In addition, it attempts to place a domestic act fulfilled with speculations and prejudices above the basic norms of international relations. "Such doing will not only harm the national sovereignty, security and development interests of China, but also poison the mil-to-mil relations between the two countries," said Tan.
He expressed that China is firmly committed to the path of peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and has always taken concrete actions to safeguard the world peace, facilitate the common development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Chinese military, which has been growing and going global, has always been a staunch force for protecting world peace and stability. This is a fact witnessed by the international community that can’t be denigrated. Quite the contrary, stuck to the idea of self-interests first, the US has either waged wars against other countries or created conflicts, causing massive casualties and displacement of innocent civilians. "Facts have proved more than once that the US is the direct threat to the international order and the culprit of the regional turbulence," he pointed out.
The settlement of the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people and an internal affair of China. No outside interference is allowed. The US has no right to make a fuss on this question. For a certain period, the US has been constantly hollowing out and distorting the one-China principle, frequently selling arms to Taiwan, strengthening its military connection with Taiwan, and concocting Taiwan-related acts that damage China's sovereignty. These moves only seriously jeopardize the peace and stability in Taiwan Straits and increase the risk of China-US military confrontation. The Chinese People's Liberation Army will, as always, be ready to resolutely safeguard national reunification and territorial integrity of the country.
In the end, he stressed that the Chinese side urges the US to abandon its obsession with zero-sum game, adopt objective and rational recognition of China's building of its national defense and military, truly respect China’s core interests and major concerns, and work with China to implement the consensus reached by two heads of state. Only in this way, could the mil-to-mil relations between the two countries get back on track.