The U.S. Defense Department says China is claiming credit for the suspension of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. 

The Pentagon made the assessment in an annual report to the U.S. Congress on China’s armed forces on Thursday, clarifying that the joint moves by Seoul and Washington were made in return for Pyongyang’s suspension of nuclear and missile activities. 

The report said China's goal on the Korean Peninsula is stability, denuclearization and the absence of U.S. forces in the vicinity of its borders, among other things. 

It said Beijing's focus on maintaining stability in the region includes preventing armed conflicts and the collapse of North Korea, which is why it supports a dual-track approach toward the North, employing both dialogue and pressure. 

However, the report also said China is continuing its own military exercises, including chemical defense drills, in the case of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula.   

The U.S. Defense Department pointed out that Chinese leadership can order its military to stage various operations if a crisis or conflict occurs on the peninsula, including protecting Chinese regions that border the North and military interventions in the North.