If the U.S. wants to conduct positive and constructive dialogues and exchanges with China, it must show sincerity with practical actions, earnestly respect China's core interests and major concerns to create conditions for the military-to-military relations to get back on the right track, Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said on Thursday.

Tan made the remarks when asked to make comments on the claim recently made by a deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, who said that China's suspension of the military dialogue mechanism due to Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to Taiwan was not conducive to timely communication between the two militaries to dispel doubts and reduce misjudgments.

Tan said China's cancellation of three exchanges between the two militaries was a necessary countermeasure against the U.S. who wantonly created major crisis and caused serious damage to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The cause and effect are clear, and the U.S. side knows that," he added.

Tan said the U.S. issued a number of negative policy documents and bills concerning China in succession recently, made uproar about great-power competition, hyped up the so-called "China threat", which grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, damaged the basis and atmosphere for communication and exchanges between the two militaries.

China attaches great importance to developing China-U.S. military relations,  and the communication between the two militaries at the working level has never been interrupted, he said.

However, the U.S. cannot seek to resume all-round dialogue and exchanges with China while constantly damaging China's interests at the same time, let alone confusing the whole story and blaming China for the cancellation of some military exchanges, the spokesperson said.

(Cover: Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, held a regular press conference in Beijing, China, December 29, 2022. /China's Ministry of National Defense)