BEIJING: China's military on Thursday criticised large scale military exercises held by the US and its allies in the South China Sea and Malabar naval drills by Quad countries, saying Washington is instigating confrontation by "forming gangs" which will lead to tensions.
Practicing unilateralism and instigating confrontation will only lead to tension, instead of bringing about so-called "freedom and openness", Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defence, told an online media briefing while commenting on the recent US-led multinational joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific region as well as Malabar naval exercise by Quad countries - India, the US, Australia and Japan.
The US military recently held the Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021 with the UK, Australia and Japan with the aim to strengthen the rules-based regional order and maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific".
The Malabar naval exercise are scheduled to be held from August 26 to 29 off the coast of Guam amid mounting global concerns over China's growing military muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region.
Tan said that the US, for some time, by perceiving some other countries as its imaginary enemies, organised large-scale military exercises, formed gangs in relevant waters and showed off its military strength, the Chinese military's official website, chinamil.com.cn, reported.
Such movements of the US have severely undermined regional peace and stability and run counter to the common aspiration of countries in the region to pursue peace, cooperation and development, Tan said.
Some analysts say that the exercises mainly target China with increasingly intensified maritime activities, the report said.
Tan said China always holds that international military exchanges and cooperation should be conducive to safeguarding regional peace and stability and enhancing mutual understanding and trust, rather than targeting or undermining the interests of any third party.
China will continue to adhere to the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and is willing to work with the countries in this region to deepen security cooperation, jointly cope with threats and challenges and make the Asia-Pacific region a stable plate in the global framework, Tan added.