Scaremongering smears targeting PLA won't stick

Hyping up the "military threat "of China not only helps the United States' commerce and trade departments to waywardly put Chinese companies on their blacklist citing their alleged connections with the Chinese military, but also enables the defense and security departments of the country to lobby the US lawmakers to increase their budgets.

That explains why President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of defense tried so hard to scaremonger that China's military is resolute on surpassing the United States, calling for fixing "significant "military shortages at a time when the administration is trying to make big budget cuts.

"China is incredibly determined, they feel a great sense of urgency, and they'll be fully dedicated to becoming the strongest nation in the world and having dominance over the United States," Steve Feinberg told members of the Senate Armed Service Committee on Tuesday.

Feinberg, a businessman and investor, said the US military shortages include "shipbuilding, nuclear modernization, aircraft development, cyber defense, hypersonics, counter space, defending our satellites (and) counter drones".

Feinberg, and his like-minded colleagues that represent the US military-industrial complex, are good at fabricating and exaggerating security threats faced by the US.

"We really need to plug these shortages," he said. "If we don't, our very national security is at risk."

Feinberg should be reminded that no matter how fast the People's Liberation Army develops, China's commitment to its path of peaceful development and military policy of active defense remain unchanged.

As a peace-loving nation, China never engages in aggression or expansion. But the PLA will take firm countermeasures against any threats and challenges to the country's legitimate rights and interests.

As the two countries are at "a new beginning" for their relations, the US side should discard its smearing of the Chinese military. The two militaries should strengthen their communication and carry out pragmatic cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

Deepening state-to-state and military-to-military exchanges and cooperation would not only serve the common interests of the two countries but also inject more certainty and positive energy into a turbulent world.