China says US defense policy stance misjudges Beijing

The United States' expanded military presence in Asia is based on a miscalculation of Beijing's intent to modernize its military defenses, China said Monday, taking a tempered stance in its first official response to Washington's plan.

The United States unveiled a defense strategy last week to boost capacity in Asia, an attempt to counter China's growing ability to check U.S. power in the region, that comes with a pledged reduction in the overall size of U.S. forces.

"The accusation targeting China in the document has no basis, and is fundamentally unrealistic," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a regular news conference, in response to a question from state media about whether China poses a threat to U.S. security."

China adheres to the path of peaceful development, an independent and peaceful foreign policy and a defensive national defense policy," Liu added."The modernization and development of our national defense forces suit China's development and objective security needs.

It is an active factor of promoting peace and stability in the region and does not present a threat to any country."

China's responses to the United States' push to shore up its security presence in Asia have been restrained since last year, with Beijing policy-makers eager to avoid diplomatic fireworks with an impending political succession preoccupying the ruling Communist Party.