Xi assures Asean that it will not bully smaller neighbours

CHINESE leader Xi Jinping says his country will not seek dominance over South-East Asia or bully its smaller neighbours, amid ongoing friction over the South China Sea.

Xi made the remarks yesterday during a virtual conference with the 10 Asean members marking the 30th anniversary of relations.

“China resolutely opposes hegemonism and power politics, wishes to maintain friendly relations with its neighbours and jointly nurture lasting peace in the region and absolutely will not seek hegemony or even less, bully the small,” Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China has repeatedly sought to overcome concerns about its rising power and influence, particularly its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea that overlaps with the claims of Asean members Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines.

China and Asean have for years been negotiating a code of conduct for handling matters in the South China Sea but those talks have made little progress of late.

In other comments, Xi said peace was the “greatest common interest” of all sides and China would exert its utmost to avoid conflict.

“We must be the constructors and protectors of regional peace, insist on dialogue instead of confrontation, partnership and nonalignment, and join hands in dealing with various negative factors that threaten to undermine peace..

“We must practise true multilateralism and insist on handling international and regional matters through negotiation,” Xi said.

He said the valuable experience of China-Asean cooperation over the past 30 years should be cherished and upheld in the long run.

“The gains in China-Asean cooperation over the past 30 years are attributable to our unique geographical proximity and cultural affinity and, more importantly, to the fact that we have actively embraced the development trend of our times and made the right historic choice,” Xi said.

He noted that China and Asean have respected each other, acted by the basic norms of international relations, cooperated for win-win results, and followed a path of peaceful development.

“China and Asean have looked out for each other, honoured the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, upheld inclusiveness and mutual learning, and jointly contributed to open regionalism.

“The valuable experience we have gained over the past 30 years is the shared asset of China and Asean. It lays the foundation and provides guidelines for developing our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Xi said. — Agencies