The Chinese embassy in Denmark on Friday slammed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg for playing up the so-called "China threat" during his visit to Denmark.
A Chinese embassy spokesperson condemned Stoltenberg's speech on China for being imbued with Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice.
"We urge the Secretary-General of the world's largest military alliance to view China's development in an objective and open manner and do more for global and regional security and stability," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The NATO official publicly called the rise of China a challenge and criticized it for issues including Taiwan, the South China Sea and growing defense power.
He also accused China of trying to dominate other countries in the speech.
Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy reiterated its stance on China's peaceful development.
"The sole aim of China's development of necessary military capability is to safeguard its legitimate security interests. China's growth in strength increases the force for world peace. No country will be threatened by China's national defense capability as long as it does not intend to threaten or undermine China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," the embassy responded.