'Look at military spending objectively'
By Cao Desheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-03-17 05:40

Those who criticize China as not being transparent with its military spending should be "objective," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said yesterday while reiterating the country's defence policy.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang [newsphoto/file]

Qin's remarks were made at a regular news briefing in response to a question about a trilateral dialogue among the United States, Japan and Australia tomorrow, where China's growth is reported to be a topic.

"China has a defensive military policy, has taken appropriate measures for transparency in its military budget, and regularly publishes its defence white paper," Qin said.

Also, he pointed out, China has increased military exchanges with other countries.

The foreign ministers of Australia, Japan and the United States are expected to address the issue of China's growing political, economic and military influence when they meet in Sydney for their first trilateral strategic dialogue, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in Australia on Wednesday evening, said yesterday that China should "undertake to be transparent" about the 14.7 per cent increase in its military spending announced for this year, the report said.

"We hope other countries take an objective view on this issue," Qin said, adding that "we hope they do something conducive to mutual trust, peace and stability in the region."

Analysts see the weekend dialogue and remarks as "Cold-War mentality" in handling international relations.

"The US and Japan want more participants in their alliance to increase influence in the Asia-Pacific region, which reflects a Cold-War mentality," Wang Yusheng, an expert on China-US relations at the Beijing-based China Institute of International Studies, said during an interview.

Such an approach would not work, he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has played down Rice's suggestions that the allies "have a joint responsibility and obligation to try and produce conditions in which the rise of China will be a positive force in international politics, not a negative force."

Downer was quoted by AP as saying that "a policy of containment of China would be a very big mistake."

Premier Wen Jiabao said at a news conference earlier this week China's military would never pose a threat to any other country.

"China is a responsible country devoted to world peace and stability and the promotion of common development," he said.

On illegal immigration, Qin said yesterday that China will accept the return of its citizens who have been declared illegal immigrants in other countries once their identity has been confirmed.