The Chinese army has always been a staunch force in safeguarding world peace. and China has never engaged in aggression or expansion, said Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.
The Senior Colonel made the remarks in response to a speech given by Pete Hegseth after being sworn in as the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, in which he made it clear that the United States would restore the warrior ethos and work with allies and partners to deter "aggressive actions" in the Asia-Pacific by China.
"We firmly oppose the groundless accusation made by the U.S. side. China always pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and upholds the military strategy of active defense. The Chinese army has always been a staunch force in safeguarding world peace. The Chinese people cherish peace, and we have never engaged in aggression or expansion, but we will never give up our legitimate rights and interests, and we will take firm countermeasures against all threats and challenges," said Zhang.
"What must be emphasized is that major country competition should not be the underlying logic of the times. Instead, a steady, sound and sustained China-US diplomatic and defense relationship will serve the common interests of the two countries and meet the general expectation of the international community. Standing at a new starting point, we hope the U.S. side will work with China on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, to deepen state-to-state and army-to-army exchanges and cooperation, so as to inject more certainty and positive energy into the world," he said.
Chinese army always staunch force in safeguarding world peace: spokesman
China's factory activity showed improving signs in August, driven by the continuous expansion of new growth drivers, notably in high-tech and equipment manufacturing.
The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector stood at 49.8 in August, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed on Monday.
The PMI for equipment manufacturing registered at 51.4, while the high-tech manufacturing PMI reached 52.9, both remaining firmly in the expansion territory above the 50-point threshold that separates growth from contraction.
These metrics signal sustained momentum in advanced manufacturing and underscore an accelerating structural upgrade across the broader industrial sector.
"The transition between old and new growth drivers in manufacturing is accelerating. New growth engines such as equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing are expanding at a notably faster pace than traditional sectors like basic raw materials and consumer goods, providing an increasingly strong anchor for macroeconomic growth," said He Hui, vice president of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
By enterprise size, large manufacturing enterprises recorded a PMI of 50.6 in August, up 1.1 percentage points from July, reflecting a marked improvement in operations. Medium-sized enterprises saw a modest pullback in the business climate level, while small enterprises posted a slight uptick in activity.
Meanwhile, influenced by upward movements in global crude oil and non-ferrous metal prices, the purchasing price index for major raw materials and the ex-factory price index for manufacturing stood at 56.6 and 50.4, respectively, up 3.4 percentage points and 2.6 percentage points from the previous month.
Analysts noted that the rebound in output prices should help manufacturers offset rising input costs and improve their profit margins.
"From an industry perspective, both price indexes for non-ferrous metal smelting and processing climbed above 60, reflecting significant increases in both raw material procurement costs and finished product selling prices," said Huo Lihui, a chief statistician of the National Bureau of Statistics.
Looking ahead, as the disruptive effects of summer heat and heavy rainfall fade, analysts expect the manufacturing sector to see further improvements in September with a significant rebound in traditional peak-season demand for automobiles, computers, consumer electronics, and textiles.
High-tech, equipment manufacturing drives improvement in China's August factory activity
