Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday vowed always to use peaceful means in pursuit of Beijing’s goals, including in maritime disputes, just days after US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia.
Addressing the Australian parliament in an honour bestowed only on one other Chinese leader, Hu Jintao in 2003, Xi said: “China remains unshakeable in its resolve to pursue peaceful development.”
“Neither turbulence nor war serves the fundamental interests of the Chinese people.”
“There’s only one trend in today’s world, that is, the trend of peace and development and win/win cooperation,” he added in a candid address in which he also reminisced about kangaroos and koala encounters during previous visits to Australia.
The Chinese president evoked history to make the point that no one ever benefited from conflict, after Obama at the weekend G20 summit in Brisbane again stressed that Beijing must be a responsible actor on the world stage.
China is locked in disputes with four Southeast Asian countries over lonely outcrops in the South China Sea, and with Japan over another set of islets.
“A review of history shows that countries that attempted to pursue development with force invariably failed,” Xi said through a translator. “This is what history teaches us. China is dedicated to upholding peace. Peace is precious and needs to be protected.”
But he added: “We must always be on high alert against the factors that may deprive us of peace.”
The leaders of the US, Australia and Japan on Sunday called for the peaceful settlement of the maritime disputes. The day before, Obama had warned of “disputes over territory — remote islands and rocky shoals — that threaten to spiral into confrontation”.
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