China has lodged solemn representations with the United States after the Pentagon recently released "2022 China Military Power" report which "hyped up the so-called China military threats," Defense Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The report distorted China's national defense policy and military strategy, made groundless speculation about China's military development, and grossly interfered in China on the Taiwan question, said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense.

Tan said China is firmly committed to the path of peaceful development, upholds a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and is always a builder of world peace, contributor to global development and defender of the international order.

China's military development aims to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, Tan said. "No matter how developed it may become, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion."

In pursuit of its own interests, the U.S. has created divisions and incited confrontation all over the world, Tan said, adding that this once again proves that the U.S. is the biggest troublemaker and destroyer of world peace and stability. 

As for Taiwan, Tan said Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and the Taiwan question is China's internal affair that brooks no outside interference.

Noting the U.S. side continues with its move of "using Taiwan to contain China," Tan said the Chinese armed forces have the confidence and capability to thwart any external interference and separatist attempts for "Taiwan independence" and achieve the complete reunification of the motherland.

Tan also denounced the U.S. report on China's nuclear forces. 

China firmly pursues a nuclear strategy of self-defense, adheres to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and keeps the nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, the spokesman said.

However, the U.S. is accelerating the construction of the "Trinity" nuclear force, vigorously developing and seeking forward deployment of tactical nuclear weapons and lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, Tan said.

Mentioning the trilateral security partnership between the U.S., UK and Australia, Tan said the U.S. has increasingly become the source of nuclear conflicts.

"We urge the U.S. side to abandon the Cold War mentality, banish preconceptions and stereotypes about China, correct its wrong perception of China, view the development of China's national defense and armed forces rationally, stop making erroneous remarks and relevant reports, and take concrete actions to bring bilateral and military-to-military relations back to the track of sound and stable development," Tan said.

(Cover: Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark docks in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, November 10, 2022. /CFP)