Commentary: Pentagon's annual China military report exposes U.S. Cold War mentality

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Defense Department on Friday published its annual report on China's military and security developments in a continued Cold War-style practice once adopted by the United States toward then Soviet Union.

The report, though claimed "objective" and "factual" by the Pentagon, is ridden with speculative descriptions and even distorts the reality in a bid to depict China as a security and economic threat to the United States.

The report said China "periodically acts more assertively in pursuit of its strategic priorities," making an apparent reference to China's firm stance on protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity in disputes concerning the South China Sea.

As a champion of good-neighbor diplomacy, China has been aspiring for peaceful development. When it comes to issues of sovereignty and national security, China stands firm just like any other member of the international community. What's the fault in that?

The Pentagon also expresses doubts about the transparency of China's defense spending, saying that estimating China's actual military expenditures "is difficult because of poor accounting transparency and China's still incomplete transition from a command economy."

Making such a statement, the report apparently ignores the fact that China has been publicizing its annual defense budget since 1978, which was included in the government's budget report to the National People's Congress every year. And since 1995, China has been releasing the complete data on defense spending in its annual White Paper on China's National Defense.