US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in Asia over the weekend that he wanted to deploy intermediate-range conventional missiles at various Asia-Pacific sites within months, as the US officially withdrew last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
China has refuted US Defense Secretary Mark Esper's recent claim that it was destabilising the Indo-Pacific region, dismissing the remarks as irresponsible blame shifting, and reiterated the purely defensive nature of Beijing's military development.
Answering reporters' questions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that for a long time, the US has been grossly meddling in the affairs of Asia Pacific countries, attempting to drive a wedge between them by promoting so-called “Indo-Pacific strategy” while enhancing military deployment and strengthening military alliances in the region.
“It's crystal clear who is undermining regional stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Hua.
The spokeswoman stressed that the US had long been using China as an excuse for its decisions regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and other issues, distorting facts in order to hype up “China's missile threat”.
Despite strong international opposition, said Hua, the US withdrew from the INF Treaty and is now hastily seeking to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Asia.
“This in fact reveals the real intention of the US withdrawal from the treaty,” said Hua. China pursues a defensive military…
