Beijing firmly opposed the report issued by the Pentagon on Chinese military spending in the South China Sea. In a 100-page report, the Pentagon said that china is spending extensively to achieve great power status, which is needed for their national rejuvenation. China denies such reports and calls it irresponsible and exaggerated.
What are the details of the Pentagon report over China's military spending?
The report released by the Pentagon apparently showed that Chinese President Xi Jinping initiated reforms in 2015 to build capabilities to fight short-duration battles with high-intensity at distances far from the Chinese mainland.
It also states a plan to increase the power of the communist party to take hold of the Chinese army.
The document also accuses China of using coercive tactics to achieve its goals with other countries. This involves the use of maritime militia to forcibly enforce claims over large portions of the South China Sea. It also reports that China is speedily installing defense installations in various islands in the contested sea like the Spratly Islands.
It also claims that China is planning to degrade U.S. advantages in terms of military technology. The report said that they are planning to focus on critical military assets such as warships, submarines, and cyber hacking capabilities.
What is China's response to the Pentagon reports?
China called the report released by the Pentagon as full of baseless assumptions, disregarding facts, a blatant exaggeration and irresponsible. The Chinese government stressed that their occupation of islands in the South China Sea is to preserve the peace and stability of the region.
Though the building of military installations raised valid questions on the real intention of China, Beijing had not released any comment on that issue.
However, China is deeply adamant on its assertive claims over much of the South China Sea to the detriment of other countries in the region. Even though much of the countries in the said area enjoy an exclusive economic zone, this is not recognized by Beijing.
At the moment, China is still pouring down much of its coastal navy on patrolling the South China Sea,
This is in direct response to the freedom of navigation operations made by the United States to enforce international laws in the said region. The tension in Asia is brewing slowly under the specter of a sudden nuclear strike coming from North Korea, which is hell bent on completely humiliating the United States.
