Denouncing the groundless accusation, Wu also cited an international rescue mission conducted by the Chinese military in December 2017, adding that three foreign travelers, who are from Switzerland, France, and Poland, respectively, were rescued from their grounded boat by Chinese military forces in the Nansha Islands.
“The rescue mission is very professional. The Chinese military helped us mending our boat, as well as saving our lives. The kind moves have shown their dedication and care for all people,” Michael Hoorn, the rescued Swiss traveler, was quoted as saying by Chinese Central Television.
“Frankly speaking, the development of China is a fact that cannot be denied, while the growth of China is the growth of peaceful forces in the world,” Wu noted.
This is not the first time that the "China military threat" has been hyped. According to unclassified pages of the 2018 US National Defense Strategy published in January, China is described as a strategic competitor “using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea.”
