US back at foot-in-the-mouth game

On June 5, the United States Department of Defense released its annual report on China's military. On its hobbyhorse again, the Pentagon uses the 96-page report to give a misleading account of China's latest military and security development.

Although the entire report is specious, three points deserve special attention. The first is its contention that China is expanding its overseas interests commensurate with its military capabilities, and its military modernization is focused on potential conflict across the Taiwan Straits, potential contingencies in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and a range of missions beyond its coast, including peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance.

The second point is its claim that China's expanding overseas interests have led to frictions with some of its neighbors and its hard-line stance has escalated tensions in its neighborhood. The report says: "Despite China's desire to project the image of a benign developing country, its efforts to defend 'national sovereignty and territorial integrity', underpinned by growing economic strength and military capabilities, have been manifest in more forceful rhetoric and confrontational behavior in recent years."