China says hopes US defence spending benefits global stability

Record ID: 335853

  • Title: China says hopes US defence spending benefits global stability
  • Date: 28th February 2017
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FEBRUARY 28, 2017) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG WALKING IN FOR REGULAR BRIEFING MEDIA SEATED SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GENG SHUANG, SAYING: "We hope that the relevant U.S. policies and measures will be beneficial to maintaining global peace and stability and push forth development and prosperity. C
  • Embargoed: 14th March 2017 09:52
  • Keywords: Trump military budget Chinese foreign ministry U.S.-China relations Geng Shuang
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00165FP079
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (February 28) said it hoped U.S. defence spending would be beneficial to maintaining global peace and stability, after the White House proposed a 10 percent increase in military spending.
    The proposed rise in the Pentagon budget to $603 billion comes as the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world's strongest military power.
    An official familiar with the proposal said U.S. President Donald Trump's request for the Pentagon included more money for shipbuilding, military aircraft and establishing "a more robust presence in key international waterways and choke points" such as the Strait of Hormuz and the disputed South China Sea.
    That could put Washington at odds with China, which claims most of the South China Sea and has alarmed its neighbours by building artificial islands and airports there, among other facilities.
    "We hope that the relevant U.S. policies and measures will be beneficial to maintaining global peace and stability and push forth development and prosperity. China has always advocated joint, comprehensive cooperation as our security principle. We are willing to work together with the countries of the world to realize this security principle," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing, when asked about the proposed U.S. increase.
    It was hypothetical to link the rise to the situation in the South China Sea, Geng added.
    "But on the South China Sea issue we have repeatedly said that the situation is at present developing well, in a positive direction, and is stable. So we hope that the relevant countries, especially countries outside the region, will be able to respect China's and the ASEAN countries' hard work and jointly maintain the peace and stability of the South China Sea," he said.
    The United States already has the world's most powerful fighting force and spends far more on defence than any other country.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register