BEIJING, Dec 25— China condemned a Pentagon report Thursday alleging that Beijing is using improved India relations to weaken US-India ties while deepening military cooperation with Pakistan, including potential plans for a base.
“The report is full of erroneous understandings of China and geopolitical biases,” Defence Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said. “We express our strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition. The US should stop provoking confrontation and spreading false narratives.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also criticised the annual report, calling it an attempt to justify US military dominance. “China firmly opposes the report,” he said, adding that the country manages its relations with India from a long-term strategic perspective. “We stand ready to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation, and properly handle differences with India.”
The US Department of War’s report, submitted Tuesday to Congress, said China could be leveraging deescalation along the Line of Actual Control to prevent closer US-India defence cooperation. It highlighted the Xi-Modi meeting during the BRICS summit in October 2024, which launched monthly high-level discussions covering border management, visa facilitation, and exchanges of journalists and academics.
Regarding cooperation with Pakistan, the Pentagon report noted China’s defence and space collaboration and said Beijing “likely also considered” establishing a military base there. Lin stressed that boundary issues are bilateral between China and India, calling US commentary “groundless and irresponsible.”
