China slams Esper's article against PLA

Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense. /Ministry of National Defense

Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, Sunday slammed U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's article against the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), asserting that any attempt to cut the flesh-and-blood ties between the Chinese army and the people is doomed to fail.

The article had distorted the PLA's image without any basis to play up the so-called Chinese military threat, Ren told reporters. His remarks came after Esper's article titled "The Pentagon Is Prepared for China," wherein he claimed that "China's military does not serve the country or the constitution."

Ren described the allegations as totally groundless and full of Cold-War mentality and ideological bias.

Armed policemen carry emergency supplies for dyke reinforcement at Jiangjialing Village in Poyang County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 11, 2020. /Xinhua

The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the PLA share the same mission of serving the people wholeheartedly as mentioned in China's Constitution, Ren said.

The country's military is deeply rooted in the people and have made great contributions to achieving national independence as well as liberation of the people in terms of economic construction, disaster relief and protecting people's life and property, the spokesperson added.

The growth of China's military power should be regarded as the empowerment of world peace as the Chinese Constitution rules that China pursues the path of peaceful development, Ren said, adding that the Chinese military has been actively participating in international peacekeeping activities.

The U.S. attempts to alienate China from other countries would never succeed as China's efforts in maintaining world peace have been widely recognized by the international community, Ren noted.

He added that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PLA has also been fulfilling its responsibility as the military of a major country, actively participating in international anti-COVID-19 cooperation.

The Chinese military will continue to make contributions to the world's safety, peace, prosperity and inclusiveness, the spokesperson stressed.