BEIJING: China expressed yesterday its “firm opposition” to a Pentagon report that said Beijing was carrying out aggressive cyber espionage as part of a steady build-up of its military power, state media said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said “China’s justified and normal military development” had been unjustly criticized in the annual report, which was released on Friday, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The development of China’s “limited” military force was only geared toward safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the spokesman.
“So long as a country is not hostile to China, it will show no doubt or worry over such development,” he added.
He told Washington to “respect facts, change its mind-set and stop its wrongdoing in issuing similar reports year after year.”
Echoing recent warnings from intelligence officials, the Pentagon blamed China for “many” of the world’s cyber intrusions over the past year targeting US government and commercial networks, including companies “that directly support US defense programs.”
The Pentagon assessment also accused China of exploiting Western commercial technology and buying more anti-ship missiles. Washington has routinely urged Beijing to be more open about its military intentions.
The annual assessment of China’s military resembled previous reports but adopted more diplomatic language, possibly to avoid aggravating delicate relations with Beijing, analysts said.
The American military has long worried that China could potentially limit the reach of US naval ships in the western Pacific with new weapons, and the Pentagon report underlined those concerns.
China’s military budget officially reached $106 billion in 2012, an 11.2 percent increase.
But the US report said that budget does not include major expenditures such as improvements to nuclear forces or purchases of foreign-made weapons. Real defense spending amounts to $120 to $180 billion, the report said.
US military spending, however, still dwarfs Chinese investments, with the Pentagon’s proposed budget for 2013 at more than $600 billion.
Tunnel blast kills 20
Meanwhile, 20 people were killed in an explosion inside an under-construction expressway tunnel in central China’s Hunan province yesterday, state media said.
The blast happened in Zhuzhou city when a vehicle carrying explosives was unloading in the tunnel, the Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities but providing few more details.
Four workers had been pulled out of the tunnel, including one in a critical condition, the report said.
China’s roads are notoriously dangerous, with traffic laws and safety widely flouted. Bus operators often seek to cram as many people as they can into their vehicles to maximize profits and drivers hurtle down highways.
Last year alone, more than 62,000 people died in traffic accidents, state media said, citing police figures.
China says US report on its military unjust
