China expressed Saturday 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 criticised 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 towards 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 defence 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.
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