A military spokesman on Thursday urged nations to view the development of both China and its military in an objective and rational manner.

The recently concluded G7 Summit, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit and European Union-United States Summit all had China-related issues on their agendas. The 30 NATO state leaders signed off on a communique at the end of their summit, labeling China's activities a "systemic challenge" to international order and showing concerns over the situation in the East and South China seas.

Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, criticized such claims, saying the US and a few other countries have frequently exaggerated the "China threat" theory and deliberately slandered China on sea-related issues.

Ren said it has been more than 30 years since the end of the Cold War, but some countries in the West are moving against the trend of the times, clinging to a Cold War, zero-sum game mentality.

Such countries insist on following a path of pseudo-multilateralism, playing up value-based conflicts and asking other nations with different ideologies to pick sides, Ren said.

"This is against the historical trend of peace, development, cooperation and a win-win approach, and it is destined to fail," he said.

Ren noted that there is only one system and one order in the world — the international system with the United Nations as the core and the international order based on international laws.

China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order. In addition, the Chinese military has always been a force for justice as it relates to peace and development worldwide, he added.

China's position on issues related to the South China Sea has been consistent and clear. The Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islands are an inseparable part of China's territory, and China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the sea and nearby waters, he said, adding that China is committed to resolving the disputes peacefully through dialogue while firmly safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

"We advise the countries concerned to stop exaggerating any forms of a 'Chinese military threat' theory and stop advocating geopolitical competition. Instead, they should spend more energy on promoting dialogue and cooperation," he said.