Beijing has rejected a Pentagon report on its military activities saying that the U.S. Department of Defense 'hyped up' China's military threat in its report.

China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun blasted the Pentagon's 2016 report on 'military and security developments involving the People's Republic of China,' which was presented to Congress on Friday.

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Expressing strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the report, Yang said the report paints a false picture of Beijing' military developments.

"The U.S. Defense Department hyped up China's 'military threat' and the so-called lack of transparency, deliberately distorted China's defense policies, and unfairly depicted China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea," the spokesperson said on Saturday, according to Xinhua news agency. "China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development."

The annual U.S. report said that China continues to modernize its military. The report also revealed that China's military modernization program entered a new phase in 2015.

"China's investments in military and weaponry operations continue on a path to increase its power projection, anti-access and area denial and operations in cyberspace, space and electromagnetic emerging domains," said Abraham M. Denmark, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia.

Denmark, however, made it clear that U.S. approach to China focuses on reducing risk, expanding common ground and maintaining Washington military superiority. He further noted that Washington is encouraging China to be more transparent about its military modernization program.

"As the United States builds a stronger foundation for a military-to-military relationship with China, we will continue to monitor China's evolving military strategy, doctrine, and force development," he said.

Tagschina, US, Pentagon, Military, Congress