China slams US remarks against military-civilian integration policy

BEIJING -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday refuted the US State Department's accusations against China's military-civilian integration policy, urging the US side to stop deliberate provocations and denigration of China.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying reiterated China's stance on the issue in response to a relevant question at a daily press briefing.

"The United States has been misrepresenting and smearing China's military-civilian integration policy with political motivations, employing moral hijack, political pressure and even threat of sanctions against Chinese and American businesses and researchers," Hua said, adding that China strongly deplores and firmly rejects the move.

It is a common international practice to promote integrated development of military and civilian sectors, Hua said, adding the United States is no exception.

Hua said the United States has a history of "military-civil fusion" dating back to the period before World War I and it has been carried out in a holistic and multifarious way, picking up pace in recent years. Some American multinational companies like Lockheed Martin are the result of "military-civil fusion" themselves, with operations and products covering both ends, she said.

Hua said the US allegation against China reflects typical "double standard" as it forbids others from doing something it does itself. Its true intention is to give excuses to justify a high-tech blockade against China. It goes against the spirit of international cooperation and the trend of the times and will eventually damage the interests of China, the United States and the entire world, she added.

"China urges the United States to correct its wrong words and deeds, stop deliberate provocations and malicious denigration of China," the spokesperson said.