U.S. should treat China rationally: defense ministry

On January 9, 2012, when answering the reporter's question concerning the issuing of a strategic defense guideline by the United States Department of Defense (USDOD)， Geng Yansheng, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC)， said that the peace and stability of the Asian-Pacific region are the irresistible trends of the times and the development and prosperity of the region are the common aspirations of the people.

Geng said that China hopes the US can follow the trends of the times by treating China and the Chinese military objectively and rationally, speaking and acting cautiously and doing more that is conducive to the development of the China-US relations and the relations between the two militaries as well as the regional peace and stability.

The strategic defense guideline issued by the USDOD on January 5, 2012 reads that in the long run, China's emergence as a regional power will have the potential to affect the U.S. economy and its security in various ways, China continues to develop its asymmetric means to contend against the projection capabilities of the American forces, and China must clarify its strategic intentions while increasing its military strength. The US armed forces will continue to strengthen the diplomatic, economic and military activities in the Asian-Pacific region and maintain the stability of the region by strengthening the relations with its Asian allies and partners.

Geng Yansheng answered the questions raised by reporters concerning the above China-related contents that China has paid attention to the strategic defense guideline unveiled by the American side and will watch out for the influence of the shift of the US military strategies on the security situation of the Asian-Pacific region and the world at large.

He said that the U.S. criticism against China in this document is groundless. It is universally known that the strategic intentions of the national defense and army building of China are consistent and explicit, and Chinas peaceful development means opportunities rather than challenges to the international community including the US.