The so-called "China threat" is a U.S. fabrication which the United States hopes will help boost its defense industry, a Russian military observer said.

China is not a threat to the United States and the so-called "China threat" has been fabricated by the U.S. government out of concern for the growth of its defense industry, Viktor Litovkin, a military observer of the RIA Novosti news agency, told Xinhua in an interview.

Russia is no longer an enemy to the United States after the end of the Cold War as it is not strong enough politically, economically and militarily, but the United States can't do without a presumed enemy, Litovkin said.

"The United States needs to find such an enemy to justify its colossal spending on arms and keep its arms producers busy with factory orders," he said.

The United States needs China, which has registered fast economic growth and made major achievements in outer space exploration, as a strong competitor, but it is at the same time afraid of China's rise and tries to do everything possible to curb China's growth, Litovkin said.

The U.S. missile defense system is not aimed at Russia, but at denting China's nuclear potential, he added.

Source: Xinhua