April 17 () –
The Chinese authorities have asked the Australian Government this Wednesday to reformulate its political position with respect to Beijing, especially in terms of military strategy, words that come shortly after Canberra has reported that it will allocate 50,000 million Australian dollars (about 30,000 million euros) to the country's Defense budget for the next decade.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, has criticized the Australian Defense Minister, Richard Marles, in a press conference, for speaking of “coercive tactics to achieve their strategic objectives” when referring to the operations of China in the Indo-Pacific.
In this sense, he has asked Marles to “form a correct perception of China's strategic intentions” at the international level, according to information collected by the CGTN television network. Lin has in turn reiterated that China is “committed to the path of peaceful development, which is why it follows a policy of a defensive nature.”
“China remains committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world in general, and does not pose any threat to any country,” said the spokesperson, who stated that the current risks to the security in the region come mainly from certain external powers that form exclusive blocs to create confrontations, especially in the South China Sea.”
“We hope that the Australian side will form a correct perception of China's development and strategic intentions, abandon the Cold War mentality, do more to maintain peace and stability in the region, and not turn China into a problem,” he concluded.
