In case any further evidence was needed documenting the frosty relations between the Chinese and U.S. militaries, China’s state news agency is now blasting a recent Defense Department report on the Chinese military as a smear.

The Xinhua News Agency characterized the Pentagon’s annual assessment of China’s military capabilities — reporting that Beijing is building a modern, regionally focused military — as scaremongering. China maintains that its military posture is entirely defensive.

The long-delayed Pentagon report comes as the sides struggle to restore relations between their militaries amid tensions over American support for Taiwan, cyberattacks blamed on China and Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

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