On China's national defense policy

China has always pursued a defense policy that is defensive in nature and a military strategy featuring active defense. In strengthening our defense and military building, we are not going after some kind of military adventure. It never crosses our mind. China has no military base in Asia and stations no troops outside its borders. China is a big country that has vast territorial land, sea and airspace and very long borders. We need to maintain proper investment in our defense and keep the troop size at an appropriate level. To demonstrate China's determination to uphold peace and development, I announced not long ago a troop cut by 300,000. China has long pledged never to practice expansionism and seek hegemony. History has and will continue to prove this.

China has contributed more UN peacekeepers than any other permanent member of the Security Council. The Chinese military has played important roles in antipiracy escort operation in the Gulf of Aden and in the shipping of chemical weapons out of Syria for destruction. In our neighborhood, China's military has helped many countries to deal with natural disasters. It will do still more within its capacity to provide public security goods to the international community.

Both China and the United States are major Asia-Pacific countries, whose interests intersect more closely and interact more frequently than in any other region of the world. Both sides desire to see peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, as it serves their common interests as well as those of the countries in the region. The Asia-Pacific should be a cooperative ground for enhanced China-US coordination and collaboration rather than their Coliseum for supremacy. Our attitude is this: we welcome whatever that contributes to regional peace and stability, and oppose whatever that may lead to conflict and turmoil in the region.

In the Asia-Pacific, both China and the United States should vigorously implement the principles of mutual respect and win-win cooperation. China participated in RIMPAC for the first time in 2014. The two militaries are stepping up the two Confidence-Building Mechanisms. We hope to identify still more converging ground in the region for the two countries, continuously build up strategic trust and work with other countries in making the region more peaceful, stable and prosperous.