China: US Defense Act an attack against CCP, political provocation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Dec 2022 15:42
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The Act authorizes $10 billion in "security" assistance and weapons procurement for Taiwan, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry considers “a gravely wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence'."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with China’s Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe on Nov. 22 (Radio Free Asia)

China on Saturday described the US National Defense Authorization Act as a three-way technique: to exacerbate the US-made term “China threat", interfere in the country’s internal affairs, and attack the Chinese Communist Party.

The US National Defense Authorization Act entails a $858-billion military spending program for 2023, which was just signed into law by US President Joe Biden on Friday. China's Foreign Ministry stated that it is “a serious political provocation against China,” which it “deplores and firmly opposes."

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian relayed last month the ways in which the US is devising plans to maintain military hegemony and nuclear power by employing the term "Chinese threat" as a pretext.

The US Defense Department published the 2022 China Military Power Report the day before, claiming that China could catalyze the pace of the modernization of its nuclear forces in the next 10 years, producing around 1,500 nuclear warheads by the year 2035.

This also authorizes $10 billion in "security" assistance and weapons procurement for Taiwan, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry considers “a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and severely affects peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

An amendment in the bill prohibited US government agencies from purchasing products containing computer chips made by a specific group of Chinese companies.

'Zero-sum mentality'

“The US needs to stop seeking to use Taiwan to contain China, stop fudging, distorting and hollowing out the One-China principle, and stop moving even further down the wrong and dangerous path,” the Ministry stated.

The US was urged to steer clear from using the “negative China-related sections” in the act or would face “strong and resolute” consequences. According to the Foreign Ministry, if the US gives up on its “Cold-War and zero-sum mentality” and builds on a rational mentality to develop ties with China, it would bring about benefits to both sides.

In August, China announced it will be ending cooperation with the United States on important issues such as climate change, anti-drug efforts, and military talks, as Sino-US relations deteriorated after Washington stubbornly made its way to Taiwan through the infamous visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, breaching Chinese sovereignty.

In a separate context, China's Deputy Representative to the United Nations Geng Shuang relayed China's concerns last month regarding allegations made by Russia of US bio-military activities throughout Ukraine, followed by calls for the international community to give its "full attention" to this matter.

Geng said, "Russia has repeatedly launched allegations to the UN Security Council that the United States is suspected of conducting bio-military activities in Ukraine. China is gravely concerned. We believe that any evidence of clues related to compliance with the convention [Biological Weapons Convention] should receive full attention from the international community and deserve thorough and to-the-point responses and clarifications by the party concerned."