China faces increasing external impediments: white paper

China enjoys generally favorable environment for development but external challenges are increasing, according to a white paper issued Tuesday by the State Council Information Office.

China will remain in an important period of strategic opportunities for its development, a period in which much can be achieved, says the white paper titled "China's Military Strategy."

But the country also faces multiple and complex security threats, as well as increasing external impediments and challenges, leaving China an arduous task to safeguard its national unification, territorial integrity and development interests, the paper says.

The United States carries on its "rebalancing" strategy and enhances its military presence and its military alliances in this region. Japan is sparing no effort to dodge the post-war mechanism, overhauling its military and security policies, according to the paper.

The paper warns that China faces a long-standing task to safeguard its maritime rights and interests.

Some of its offshore neighbors take provocative actions and reinforce their military presence on China's reefs and islands that they have illegally occupied. Some external countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea affairs; a tiny few maintain constant close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China.

The Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia are shrouded in instability and uncertainty. Regional terrorism, separatism and extremism are rampant, it adds.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and their activities are still the biggest threat to the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, it says.

Separatist forces for "East Turkistan independence" and "Tibet independence" have inflicted serious damage, particularly with escalating violent terrorist activities by "East Turkistan independence" forces, according to the paper.

Anti-China forces have never given up their attempt to instigate a "color revolution" in this country, it says.

China's national security is more vulnerable to international and regional turmoil, terrorism, piracy, serious natural disasters and epidemics, and the security of overseas interests concerning energy and resources, strategic sea lines of communication, as well as institutions, personnel and assets abroad, has become an imminent issue, the paper says. Endi