Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that "one country, two systems" is a good policy that must be adhered to for a long time.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing a gathering held in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to mark the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

The great achievements of Macao since its return have proven to the world that "one country, two systems" has prominent institutional strengths and tremendous vitality.

It is a good policy that helps maintain long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, a good policy that serves the noble cause of building a stronger country and achieving national rejuvenation, and a good policy that helps realize peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between different social systems, he said.

The values of peace, inclusiveness, openness and sharing embodied in the policy are shared by China and the rest of the world, and deserve to be jointly safeguarded, Xi noted.

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, on Saturday criticized the US Department of Defense report titled "Military and Security development involving the PRC," saying the US has repeatedly published such highly deceptive and hypocritical reports for over 20 years, merely seeking excuses for its own military development and to mislead public opinion. 

Zhang urged the US to stop fabricating false narratives, revise its misperceptions of China, and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations and military ties.

In a report released on Wednesday local time, the Pentagon emphasized "the need to address the pacing challenge" presented by China's increasingly capable military.

It also exaggerated China's nuclear weapons development, saying the Pentagon estimates that China has surpassed 600 operational nuclear warheads as of mid-2024 and projects it will exceed 1,000 by 2030.

It claimed that Beijing "may also be exploring development of conventionally-armed intercontinental range missile systems" and "if developed and fielded, such capabilities would enable the PRC to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental US, Hawaii, and Alaska."

In a statement published by China's Ministry of National Defense on Saturday, Zhang expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the US report, said it distorted China's defense policy, speculated on China's military development, and blatantly interfered in China's internal affairs, and propagated baseless rumors and slander against the Chinese military, as well as exaggerated and sensationalized rhetoric regarding the so-called "Chinese military threat."

China is committed to a path of peaceful development, adhering to a defensive national defense policy. It actively fulfills the international responsibilities shouldered by a major power's military, taking concrete actions to implement the Global Security Initiative and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, offering greater public security contributions to the international community, said Zhang. 

In contrast, the US utilizes its military advantages to maintain unilateral hegemony, forcibly promotes "regime changes," incites "color revolutions," and frequently resorts to extreme pressure. In recent years, it has illegally waged wars and military actions against countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, resulting in severe civilian casualties and property losses, leading to immense humanitarian disasters, with hundreds of thousands dead, millions injured, and tens of millions displaced. The facts demonstrate that the US military strategy has increasingly become confrontational, aggressive, and reckless. The war-hungry US has become the greatest disruptor of the international order and the biggest threat to global security, Zhang noted. 

Zhang said China's nuclear policy reflects unparalleled stability, continuity, and predictability among all nuclear-armed states. "We adhere to a nuclear strategy of self-defense and a no-first-use policy, ensuring that our nuclear capabilities remain at the minimum level required for national security. Our development of nuclear weapons is not intended to threaten other countries, but rather for defense and self-protection, to safeguard our strategic security."

In contrast, the US possesses the world's largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, yet stubbornly insists on a policy of first use of nuclear weapons. It invests heavily in upgrading its nuclear triad forces and has conducted numerous subcritical nuclear tests in recent years, accelerating the development of new nuclear warheads. 

The AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation severely undermines the international nuclear non-proliferation system and significantly disrupts international and regional peace and stability. The US should engage in serious self-reflection, reduce the role of nuclear weapons in its national and collective security policies, and provide the international community with a responsible account, said Zhang. 

The Taiwan question is China's domestic affairs, and it is the core of China's core interests. It is the first red line in China-US relations that cannot be crossed. The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang said. 

No matter when or who attempts to separate island of Taiwan from China, the Chinese people and the Chinese military will never agree to it. The Chinese military conducts exercises in the air and sea around Taiwan island specifically to address external interference and provocations from "Taiwan secessionist" forces. This is a necessary and just action to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Zhang. 

The US is intensifying military ties with Taiwan, accelerating the arming of island of Taiwan through arms sales and military aid, which seriously violates the one-China principle. This will only fuel the arrogance of "Taiwan secessionism" and escalate tensions in the Taiwan Straits, potentially leading to conflict and war, Zhang said. 

China urges the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, to recognize the extreme danger of "Taiwan independence" separatism, to understand the serious consequences of playing with fire, to stop official exchanges and military contacts with island of Taiwan, and to cease condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The US should not continue down the wrong path, Zhang noted. 

Zhang said military relations form a crucial part of the broader China-US relationship. We attach great importance to the military relationship and ensure open and effective communication with the US via military diplomatic channels. 

We hope that the US will engage constructively with China, embrace a constructive and balanced perspective on China's growth and military modernization, and adhere to the principles of peace, stability, and mutual trust, said Zhang, noting that China aims to build a military relationship based on equality and respect, characterized by no conflict or confrontation, open and pragmatic cooperation, and gradually accumulating mutual trust, thereby serving as a stable foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

For over 20 years, the US has pieced together and repeatedly published such highly deceptive and hypocritical reports, merely seeking excuses for its own military development and misleading public opinion. 

Zhang urged the US to stop fabricating false narratives, correct its erroneous perceptions of China, and promote the healthy and stable development of the relationship between two countries and militaries. 

In response to US Senator Rick Scott's claims that Chinese garlic poses a "major threat" to US food security, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Friday dismissed the remarks as absurd, noting that such statements have become a source of ridicule among Chinese netizens. 

"It is believed that Garlic probably has never imagined it could pose a major threat to the US," Mao said at the press conference on Friday. 

She pointed out the growing trend of the US labeling Chinese products—from drones and cranes to refrigerators and garlic—as "national security risks," while emphasizing that none of the so-called evidence and reasons cited by the US could withstand scrutiny. 

Mao pointed out that it was clear to all that such actions were merely a pretext for the US to pursue protectionism, abuse state power to suppress and contain China's development, and push for decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains. 

She emphasized that overgeneralizing the concept of national security and politicizing or weaponizing economic, trade, and technological issues would only exacerbate global supply chain risks, ultimately harming others and themselves. 

Mao also advised certain US politicians to exercise more common sense and rationality to avoid becoming a laughingstock.

The Global Times Annual Conference 2025, themed, "Moving forward in Partnership: Resonance of Values between China and the World," is held in Beijing on Saturday. In the first session, experts and scholars engaged in discussions on the topic, "Exploring the path of great power relations: differences and consensus." In a video speech at the conference, Erik Solheim, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and former executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said that "we should have a rules-based global order, but with the same rules for everyone."

Solheim said that the 21st century will be multipolar, but it can be a fundamentally unstable century, because there are so many problems which need to be taken into account. In terms of how we can make stability in the 21st century, he noted, "We need a rules-based global order. The concept of a rules-based global order has sometimes been understood, like in the West, as one set of rules for the West and another set of rules for the rest … I hear they say that the sovereignty of Ukraine is sacrosanct, but you cannot care less for the sovereignty of Palestine."

The answer to this Western hypocrisy is not to say we should not have a rules-based global order; it is to say we should have a rules-based global order, but with the same rules for everyone, Solheim stressed.

When discussing how to establish a rule-based global order, Solheim stated, "As the underpinning on[of] this new global order, I will suggest two principles. The first is respect." He then mentioned the "Hehe" culture of China. In today's world, it means that we should have harmony between nations even if they are not the same, but we should work together, Solheim added.

The second principle is dialogue, he said, adding that when there are different views in solving conflicts, bringing economic growth, or creating an ecological civilization, we should have dialogue as to how we achieve that.

"If you base the 21st century on these two principles of respect and dialogue, and if you look to establish a set of global rules which work the same way for all nations and all individuals of this world, then we are on the path to make the 21st century a much better and much more successful time for humanity," Solheim said.