China will not seek to dominate: Xi Jinping

TIL Desk/World/Colombo/ Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday vowed that his country will not develop at the expense of other nations, in a speech marking 40 years since China introduced major economic reforms. However, he also said that the global superpower would not be told what to do by anyone. Late leader Deng Xiaoping’s campaign of”reform and opening up” began four decades ago.

The resulting growth has made China the second-largest economy in the world. Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty but in recent years,China has struggled with mounting debt and slowing economic growth. Xi said despite his country’s economic achievements, China would “never seek global hegemony” and also highlighted its contributions towards a”shared future for mankind”.

He did not mention the current trade dispute with the US. China continues to crackdown on political dissent and is accused of locking up hundreds of thousands of Muslims without trial in the western region of Xinjiang. Its militarisation of islands in the South China Sea — home to vital shipping lanes — has sparked concerns among Asian neighbours that it seeks to dominate the region.