China's newly unveiled white paper on military strategy has invited comments from foreign media, a number of which are filled with misinterpretations. A typical view is from Sankei Shimbun, which claims that China is uniting Russia against the US and Japan, and deems Washington and Tokyo as imaginary enemies. Such mistaken ideas require clarification. 

What went wrong in these speculations is that they failed to recognize accurately the prerequisite of the white paper. The white paper emphasized the significance of defensive actions to safeguard its maritime rights, against the background of the complicated situation on the East and South China Sea in recent years. But did China do so out of its own "aggression," or out of the fact that it has been encountering strategic containment? Western media tend to have preconceived bias. They are used to US-dominated propaganda and interpret the situation from the angle of confrontation. They always misinterpret emerging countries' strategic defensive action against threat as an offensive initiative.

In order to understand the defensive nature of China's military strategy and its relations with other countries, we should start from its diplomacy that supports a peaceful development strategy, which is characterized by keeping good neighborly relations with surrounding countries, cooperative diplomacy with major countries and regional integration policies.

Take the ties with Russia, the US and Japan. China does not seek an alliance with Russia. Both nations share not only a consensus over establishing a multipolar world order and maintaining regional peace, but also broad interests via collaboration. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership is not a military alliance, and is not directed against any third party.

China does not repel US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Instead, it upholds regional order after WWII. Moreover, Beijing is willing to establish a new type of major power relationship with Washington with no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation.

China does not hold a deep hostile mentality toward Japan, even though the country's revisions of historical textbooks and refusal to apologize for its wartime aggressions made Chinese people outraged. China remains highly vigilant toward the possible military revival pushed by Japanese right-wing politicians. However, Beijing is unwaveringly preserving the policy of building a friendly relationship between China and Japan, insisting on developing free trade zones under the framework of ASEAN-China, Japan, South Korea (10+3), and promoting the integration of East Asia.

With the above three principles and its diplomacy under the goal of creating an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, and with the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, China's military strategy can stand serious scrutiny. However, its perspectives of security have always met with a Cold War mentality.

China cannot do much about certain Japanese media's misperceptions, just like how it feels when Japan leans toward the TPP to jointly develop with Washington and shows no willingness to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Tokyo insists on backing the US-Japan Security Treaty, which single-handedly broke the tacit agreement over setting aside disputes with China, and tries to revise its pacifist constitution, lift the ban on collective self-defense forces, and support US military operations beyond Japan's sovereignty. The primary cause of the escalating regional confrontation is US containment of China, yet Japan still chose to coordinate with Washington's pivot to Asia strategy, get involved in the South China Sea, and add fuel to the chaos over the region.

The situation left China no choice but to show its own intention via the white paper on military strategy and expressing its determination of upholding the principle of peaceful development.

The author is a professor of strategy at the PLA National Defense University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn