The so-called Quad mechanism has become a sheer political tool for the United States to contain China and maintain its hegemony, a Chinese military spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference when asked to comment on the Exercise Malabar conducted by naval forces from the United States, Japan, India and Australia in the Indian Ocean on Oct. 8.

China believes that security cooperation among relevant countries should not harm the interests of any third party or undermine regional peace and stability, Wu said. "We firmly oppose relevant parties to use China as an excuse to stir up confrontation and escalate regional tensions," he added.

"The Asia-Pacific should be a grand stage where countries join hands to cooperate, rather than an arena for geopolitical competition. We require relevant countries to give up their obsession with zero-sum mindset and put more efforts on protecting regional security, instead of doing the opposite," he said.