China's defense white paper "makes an important contribution to increasing transparency concerning military capabilities and strategic intent," a spokesman for Australian Minister for Defense Kevin Andrews has said.
"We recognize that military modernization is a natural part of any country's development and China is no different in this respect. We encourage China to be open about its defense policies and capability planning," the spokesman said Wednesday in a written response to Xinhua's questions on the white paper.
China issued its first white paper on military strategy on Tuesday, stressing "active defense" and outlining a strategy unifying strategic defense and operational and tactical offense.
"Australia is committed to developing a strong and positive defense relationship with China that enhances mutual understanding, facilitates transparency and builds trust," the spokesman for Kevin Andrews said.
Meanwhile, the release of China's defense white paper received wide coverage by major Australian media organizations.
The Australian Broadcast Company reported that China outlined the threats the country faces and how it intends to deal with those issues in the defense white paper.
"China emphasized the importance of maritime security," the report said.
The newspapers under Fairfax media group published a report from its China correspondent, saying, "China has signaled ambitions for a greater naval presence further from its shores."
"The white paper bluntly warns against countries who it considered were 'busy meddling' in the South China Sea," the report said.
The report noted that the People's Liberation Army Navy would gradually expand its "offshore waters defense" to include "open seas protection."
The Fairfex report also noticed that China would speed up the development of a "cyber force" which would enhance its capabilities in the event of being targeted by cyber attack.
The Australian said that China "had no intention to relinquish its claims" over the disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The Australian Financial Review said that China's white paper came as it emerged that Japan will join a major U.S.-Australia military exercise in early July for the first time.
The spokesman for Minister Andrews said Australia's cooperation with countries in the region, including Japan, "is not directed at any one country," but instead aims to further strengthen regional security.
"Australia's bilateral relationship with Japan, much like our relationship with China, is important to Australia and continues to grow," the spokesman said.
