In a bold statement, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, declared that \\"the worst enemy of the U.S. is the U.S. itself.\\" 🧐
Reacting to the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, which proposes a whopping $895.2 billion defense budget 📈 and labels China as a major challenge, Zhang didn't hold back.
\\"The U.S. military expenditure has topped the world for a long time and keeps growing rapidly year by year,\\" he said. \\"This fully exposes the belligerent nature of the U.S. and its obsession with hegemony and expansion.\\" 💥
Zhang pointed out that many wars and conflicts are results of U.S. policy failures. Since 2001, U.S.-led wars and military operations have caused countless deaths, injuries, and displaced tens of millions of people globally. 😔🌍
\\"The U.S.' abuse of force not only brings harm to the world but also accelerates its own decline,\\" Zhang remarked. 😕
He criticized the NDAA for hyping up the so-called \\"China military threat\\" as an excuse to boost U.S. military spending and maintain its hegemony. \\"This grossly interferes with China's internal affairs and undermines world peace and stability,\\" Zhang said. \\"We are strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to it.\\" ✋
Emphasizing cooperation over confrontation, Zhang stated, \\"Our planet is big enough for both China and the U.S. to develop individually and collectively.\\" 🌐🤝
He reaffirmed China's commitment to peaceful development and a defensive national defense policy. \\"We do not engage in any arms race with any other country and always serve as a defender for world peace,\\" he added. ✌️
Zhang urged the U.S. to abandon its \\"Cold-War mentality\\" and \\"zero-sum mindset,\\" cautioning that clinging to these perspectives could harm bilateral relations. 😬
He concluded by vowing that China's military will take resolute countermeasures against any infringements to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. 💪🇨🇳
Reference(s):
Worst enemy of the U.S. is itself, says Chinese spokesperson
cgtn.com
