China unlike the former Soviet Union will not engage in an arms race with the United States, causing a drag in its economic development, Chinese defence analysts have said.
Chinese experts on military affairs and international security said China's military development aims at defending its national sovereignty.
"The modernisation of the Chinese army's arsenal is to keep up with the trends in technological development and to better fulfil its duty of defending State security," deputy secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, Teng Jianqun said.
"Some people in the United States intend to drag China into an arms race to slow down China's economic development, as they did with the former Soviet Union, but I do not think China will follow suit," Teng said in response to "exaggerated" reports of China's military modernisation by the Pentagon and some American defence analysts.
The 'China Daily' on Saturday quoted a study released by two US private research groups, alleging that the Pentagon has been exaggerating China's military threat to justify building a new generation of weapons.
The study also warned that this inaccurate portrait could pitch the two countries into "a dangerous action-and-reaction competition reminiscent of the Cold War," and the two countries must be careful not to let the nuclear issue undermine important economic, political and cultural ties, the official newspaper noted.
{{/usCountry}}The study also warned that this inaccurate portrait could pitch the two countries into "a dangerous action-and-reaction competition reminiscent of the Cold War," and the two countries must be careful not to let the nuclear issue undermine important economic, political and cultural ties, the official newspaper noted.
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