U.S. 'Indo-Pacific Strategy' interferes in China's internal affairs: defense spokesperson

A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday criticized the recently released U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy."

The U.S. report hyped up foreign threats and tried to form exclusive cliques yet claimed to promote regional freedom, openness, prosperity and security, which is "void of any logic or reason," said Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

Diversity and inclusiveness are the cornerstones of prosperity and development in the Asia-Pacific region, and people of Asian Pacific look forward to an open and inclusive environment rather than a narrow and isolated one, Tan said.

China urges the relevant country to embrace the contemporary trend of peaceful development and win-win cooperation and help build the Asia-Pacific region into a driver of mutually beneficial cooperation, rather than an arena of zero-sum game, he said.

China firmly opposes the negative content regarding Taiwan in the U.S. report, which is a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a violation of the one-China principle and the basic norms governing international relations, Tan said.

"The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests, and brooks no external meddling," he stressed.