China slams US defence bill as "defamatory," demands immediate review

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, has expressed strong protest against the inclusion of measures it deems defamatory towards China in the United States' 2025 defence budget.

Xu Dong, the official spokesperson for the NPC's Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement in response to the signing of the US defence appropriations bill, amounting to $895 billion, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute protest on this matter,” Xu Dong declared.

He criticized the bill's "negative provisions" regarding China, accusing them of "continuing to inflate the so-called 'China threat,' creating an uproar about military support for Taiwan, and suppressing China's technological and economic development."

He also condemned the bill for "restricting Sino-American trade, economic, and cultural exchanges, blatantly interfering in China's internal affairs, and undermining China's sovereignty, security, and developmental interests."

Xu Dong further emphasized that Taiwan-related issues, democracy, human rights, China's political system, and its right to development are "red lines for China that must not be crossed."

Note that, US President Joe Biden approved the $895 billion defence budget for the 2025 fiscal year on December 23 which includes allocations for the Department of Defence, military construction, national security programmes, and intelligence.

The bill, approved by the House of Representatives on December 11 and the Senate on 18 December, also includes a renewed ban on contracts with entities linked to Russia's fossil fuel sector.

Additionally, the budget mandates a US intelligence assessment on the risks to national security if arms supplies to Ukraine are halted and if Russia successfully completes its military operation.

By Aghakazim Guliyev