China's Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, who is currently on an official visit to Sri Lanka spoke about China's national defence policy, and dismissed talk of the "China Threat Theory".
Guanglie said,
"On this point, the Chinese government issued a whitepaper China's Peaceful Development in 2011, solemnly declaring to the world that China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development. The core idea of this path is that China will develop itself through upholding world peace and contribute to world peace through its own development."
"Up to now, China has dispatched around 21,000 person/times to 30 UN Peace-keeping missions, making it the largest personnel contributor among the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council. We have sent rescue teams for 18 times to conduct humanitarian rescue operations. Since 2008, China has sent 12 batches of naval task forces to conduct escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. With the further modernisation of China's national defense, China will make greater contributions to world peace as a responsible member of the international community."
See also: China's support for Sri Lanka's militarisation (28 Aug 2012)
Commenting on a stone tablet from 1409 in Sri Lanka's National Museum, Guanglie said,
"The three languages carved on the stone tablet, namely, Chinese, Persian and Tamil, expressed respect for Buddhism, Islam and Brahmanism. This shows the inclusiveness of the Chinese people towards different religions, and the respect for the harmonious co- existence of multiple cultures. Such a historical culture and tradition that values peace above all has exerted profound influence on China's choice of a peaceful development path."
