China is not a strategic competitor to US

Like the US National Security Strategy report issued in December, the 2018 US National Defense Strategy report published recently also identifies China as a strategic competitor, causing repercussions in international relations and evoking a fierce rebuttal from China.

Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, has said the United States should abandon the Cold War mentality and view China's defense and military modernization rationally and objectively. Reiterating that Beijing will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and a defensive defense policy, Ren called on Washington to fulfill the important agreements reached by the top leaders of China and the US, and make concerted efforts to stabilize bilateral ties.

Ren's statement makes clear the attitudes of the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese government. First, China will never seek hegemony, and the PLA and the Chinese government have consistently played the role of builders and facilitators of world peace and development, and made efforts to improve the world order. They have shouldered more than their share of international responsibilities, winning the praise of the international community.