Solemn representations lodged over US report

China has lodged solemn representations with the United States over its newly released National Defense Strategy report, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Friday, saying that those countries that form cliques to conduct "integrated deterrence" in the Asia Pacific are the "pacing challenge" — a description that the report used to describe China — to the international system.

"The China-related content of the report has continued its wrong 'threat-driven theory', hyped up the so-called China challenge and power competition, and smeared China's normal military development by planning US defense strategy," Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement.

The report was "striking up the same old tune" of Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, he said, adding that the Chinese side firmly opposes it.