BEIJING -- China's defense spending has maintained reasonable and steady growth to tackle complex security challenges and fulfill China's responsibility as a major country, according to a military spokesperson.

"History proves and will continue to prove that the Chinese armed forces will always be a staunch force in safeguarding national interests and maintaining world peace," said Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature, on Wednesday.

The Chinese government takes into consideration the demands of its national defense and the development of the economy to decide on the appropriate scale of defense expenditure, Wu stressed.

China has been submitting reports on its military expenditure to the United Nations every year since 2008, Wu said, adding that it is groundless for some external forces to hype up the so-called "hidden military spending."

China's defense budget remains relatively low compared with the United States, Wu said.