Both China and Russia described the U.S. Pentagon’s new National Military Strategy as “aggressive” and “confrontational” on Thursday.
The strategy, released Wednesday, states that "Russia's military actions are undermining regional security directly and through proxy forces," while claiming that “China's actions are adding tension to the Asia-Pacific region."
The Pentagon strategy calls for “placing our most advanced capabilities and greater capacity” in the Asia-Pacific region, which it calls a “vital theater.”“While we prefer to act in concert with others, we will act unilaterally if the situation demands,” states the Pentagon strategy.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying dismissed the claims as “irrational exaggerations.”
"We believe that the U.S. should abandon their Cold War mentality," said Hua.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this stance by the U.S. was counterproductive in trying to improve bilateral relations."The use of such language in this document points, shall we say, to what is probably a confrontational attitude devoid of any objectivity towards our country," said Peskov.
In addition to China and Russia, the Pentagon paper also singled out Iran and North Korea as national security threats. “None of these nations are believed to be seeking direct military conflict with the United States or our allies. Nonetheless, they each pose serious security concerns which the international community is working to collectively address by way of common policies, shared messages, and coordinated action,” the strategy says.The Pentagon paper warned that U.S. military supremacy has begun to decline. It also emphasized the importance of maintaining a military presence around the globe. If state or non-state threats were to emerge, the Pentagon is “prepared to project power across all domains to stop aggression and win our nation’s wars by decisively defeating adversaries.”
It adds, “While we prefer to act in concert with others, we will act unilaterally if the situation demands.”