China slammed the Obama administration’s new defense strategy Monday, saying it increases tensions in the Far East and makes false charges about a secret military buildup by the Beijing government. The U.S. strategy shifts the focus away from ground troops like those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan to a military with a stronger sea and air capability for defending American interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

The growth of China’s military power has created the possibility of “friction” in the region, according to a Pentagon document explaining the new strategy.