Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Monday reiterated China's defensive military strategy, meaning China will not attack others first unless being attacked.

Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe. (Photo: CGTN)

Wei made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in the Chinese capital, after reading a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. The forum that convened on Sunday will last three days. 

The size of the Chinese military is maintained at a moderate level, said Wei. In 2015, President Xi announced the process of downsizing China's armed forces the People's Liberation Army (PLA), pledging to reduce the number of personnel by 300,000. 

Currently, China has two million active servicemen and women.

The senior Chinese officer also talked about the transparency of China's military expenditure, adding that it has been kept under two percent of the country's GDP in the past 30 years. That's the lowest among permanent members of the UN Security Council, he said.

Wei also stressed that China will never pursue hegemony or expansion, and will not take part in any arms race.