The issuance of the white paper on China's national defense by the Chinese government indicates that the country's armed forces are becoming increasingly open, said a spokesman of the Ministry of Defense in an exclusive interview with Xinhua Monday.

Publishing a white paper on national defense has been a regular or occasional practice for more and more countries to express their love for peace and will to seek mutual trust, said Zhang Bangdong, director of the ministry's Foreign Affairs Department.

Previously, China issued a white paper on national defense in 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2002, respectively.

Since the 1980s, peace and development have become the main theme of the times and international cooperation in the security field has been gaining momentum. It has been a common aspiration of many countries to increase mutual trust, reduce misunderstanding, control weapons and avoid crisis, according to the spokesman.

As China is concerned, a long-term stable and safe international environment is a must for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it is also one of the major targets for China's national defense and diplomatic work, Zhang said.

Some foreigners, however, still do not understand China's defensive policy on national defense and some have even developed a kind of misinterpretation and suspicion.

To let others learn about China's defense policy, the situation in its military modernization and the deep meaning of the country's "defensive" defense policy will be helpful for effectively consolidating regional stability, improving security situation in the world, and promoting China's cooperation with different countries in security and related fields in a mutually beneficial way, Zhang said.

"China has been more and more open and straightforward" to such"sensitive" issues as its defense policy and budget, he said, citing the 2002 white paper which offered detailed explanations that the increased defense budget was owing to the growth in board wages, salaries and subsidiaries of military personnel.

Each of these defense white papers has highlighted some new changes and is based on the realities of the country's defense policy and modernization of the armed forces, Zhang said.

While commenting on the 2002 white paper, he said, some mainstream Western media highlighted China's efforts to promote a new concept of international security and adhere to its defensive defense policy while making the country's military equipment and defense budget more transparent.

Zhang described the white paper on national defense as an "authoritative information channel" for the rest of the world to have a comprehensive understanding of China's defense policy and modernization of the defense sector.

The issuance of these white papers have not only helped the public know the development of the Chinese military and the defense sector, and they have also played a positive role in enhancing the public awareness of national defense and stimulating their enthusiasm for supporting the development of the defense sector, the spokesman said.