Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

The White House on Saturday accused China of operating a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019, and claimed that Beijing's efforts to expand its intelligence gathering are ongoing. Washington is clearly promoting a public opinion crusade against China.

First of all, as a veteran international news reporter, I highly doubt the authenticity of the White House's allegations. China is not a country that actively projects intelligence and military power, let alone being aggressive.

Second, if China does go to Cuba to set up a monitoring facility against the US in the future, it will be impeccable in terms of international law and the common rules of the game between the great powers. As long as the Cuban government could agree, the US wouldn't have a right to point its fingers. Look at how many military bases and intelligence agencies the US has set up around China. China has not yet begun to make similar deployment efforts against the US.

China is a big country committed to peaceful development. I believe that even many Westerners can understand that China is by no means the aggressive challenger Washington proclaims, based on the stark difference between China and the US in foreign power projection and China's rather moderate performance compared with other rising powers in history.

China will not engage in global military competition with the US, because China does not have the will or ambition to establish global hegemony. China's development method is to do business with other countries on an equal footing for mutual benefit and win-win results. China's national defense strategy is highly consistent with its development strategy, so it is strategically defensive. China is so far the only nuclear power that publicly declares that it will not use nuclear weapons first, nor will it make nuclear threats to non-nuclear countries and regions. Facing a moderate "No.1 competitor" like China, the US should feel grateful.

The author is a commentator with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn