A recent report released from the Pentagon regarding the military of China has been met with disdain by the Chinese government. Officials from China have gone on record in stating that the Pentagon’s report has “severely damaged” diplomatic relations between the United States and China.

Every year, the Pentagon conducts an investigation into the strength and maneuvering of the Chinese military. This annual report is then released to Congress. In this year’s report, the Pentagon states that China will be looking to increase the size and capability of their military and increasing their presence and infrastructure in the new island that China has created in the South China Sea that has been leading to disputes in the region.

Defense Ministry voiced strong dissatisfaction over Pentagon report on China’s military, Sat https://t.co/t6KaSHEIwq pic.twitter.com/IrJYiGGarv — People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) May 15, 2016

Yang Yujun is the Defense Ministry spokesman for China. When the Pentagon report was released, Yujun was quick to respond. Yujun states that the report made him have “strong dissatisfaction” and “firm opposition” to the 2016 version of the annual report. Yujun went on to say that the Pentagon “hyped up” the threat China’s military poses to the region and that the activities that China is currently engaged in were reported “unfairly” by the people in the Pentagon who put the report together.

“China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.”

China maintains that the increase in their military is based strictly for their own defense. Their military buildup is also stated as a way to promote peace in the region. Yujun went on in defense of China and also stated that it is the United States that flexes their military might across the globe and China needs to make sure that their military can combat the United States military if the need ever were to arise.

The area in the South China Sea where China has created an artificial island that they are militarizing is under dispute as to which country actually has the rights to the area. According to China, the area is theirs, and the countries in the area that also feel they have a right to stake a claim cannot do anything to compete against the power of the military infrastructure China has created on the fake island. Recently, the United States had ships in the area, which were met by Chinese fighter pilots. China has made it clear that are willing to go as far as they need to go in order to protect what they claim is rightfully theirs.

During the process of creating this new island, China has added over 3,000 acres of land in areas of the Spratly Islands that are under their control. This increase of land took only two years. The Pentagon report stated that China changed phases in October, in which they began to focus on building an infrastructure on this new area of land. The United States believes that China is using this new island to create a military base due to the fact that China has built three airstrips on the island that are 9,800 meters in length. These airstrips have been built to accommodate the advanced jet fighters that the Chinese military has in their arsenal.

China has been emphatic in saying that their presence and building on the island is civilian in its purpose and not military. China claims these improvements will help increase their dispersion of Chinese goods that the country manufactures.

Must read analysis by @AndrewSErickson on the new DOD PLA report. Plenty for SEAsia to digest in here. https://t.co/zshkn7QuV1 — Zachary Abuza (@ZachAbuza) May 16, 2016

Does China have a right to be upset by the Pentagon report?

[Image Via AP Photo, File]