China will not engage in arms race: army officers

Chinese army officers on Tuesday said China's military development does not pose a threat to any nation and it will not engage in an arms race, as the country seeks to develop its armaments based on its national strength and state security needs.

"The development of the Chinese armed forces poses no threat to any nation, in that it aims to safeguard state sovereignty, security and development interests," said Senior Colonel Wu Xihua, vice director of the Emergency Response Office of the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army.

Wu made the remarks at a press conference ahead of the 85th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), adding that there are still large gaps between China's military power and the world's advanced levels, despite the progress in China's military modernization, which is in line with China's overall development.

Wu also said China has always been carrying out a foreign policy of friendship and partnership with neighboring countries, as well as establishing two-way communication with neighboring countries.

"China always advocates the peaceful settlement of international disputes and resorts to dialogue and negotiation on the basis of equality to resolve conflicts and problems, while it opposes the application of force," said Wu.

Colonel Lin Bai with the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army noted at the conference that China will not engage in an arms race.

"We will develop armaments appropriately in accordance with the needs of safeguarding state sovereignty and territorial integrity, as China will continue to take the path of peaceful development," said Lin.

Lin added that China's updating and development of its armaments is in line with national needs and interests as well as in conformity with international practice.

"We have reinforced our efforts in the construction of armaments and developed some new weapons accordingly, but compared with world advanced levels, we still lag behind in terms of technical features and quantities," said Lin.