Beijing, Dec 1 (ANI): China has criticized the United State's plans to establish a permanent military presence in Australia, accusing Washington of perpetuating a 'Cold War mentality'.
"We believe this is all a manifestation of a Cold War mentality," the Wall Street Journal quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yanshen, as saying.
"We hope relevant parties do more things that are beneficial for the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the opposite," he added.
According to the paper, the remarks were China's strongest reaction yet to the announcement by the US President Barack Obama in November of the plan to strengthen military ties with Australia.
It was, however, relatively mild as it didn't warn that the new military presence would damage wider US-China military ties, the paper said.
The military agreement between Canberra and Washington is a cornerstone of Obama's strategy to increase US strategic engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.
About 250 Marines will be stationed in Darwin by mid-2012, according to the agreement, widely seen as a gesture to smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have deep-seated concerns about Beijing's growing strategic reach, the paper said. (ANI)
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