Ex-diplomat sets out stance at US think tank as Xi makes security pledge in speech

China will not bully other countries and hopes that its sovereignty and security are respected, one of China's former top diplomats told an influential US think tank, as President Xi Jinping also pledged to safeguard national interests.

Dai Bingguo, a former State councilor, said China's path of peaceful development, which had brought better governance and a flourishing future, is an opportunity for the United States and the rest of the world.

He made the remarks during a meeting on Friday in Washington at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which in 2013 was named the No 1 think tank on defense and national security issues in the University of Pennsylvania's global rankings.

China and the US should enhance high-level communication, handle and contain disputes properly, and strengthen exchanges to share experiences in governance, Dai told scholars at the meeting, including the center's president, John Hamre. China would like to make constructive contributions to global governance, he added.

Dai's comments came on the same day Xi delivered a keynote speech to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The president vowed to safeguard sovereignty, stressed his opposition to "Taiwan independence" and promised that China will neither generate nor fear trouble.

"No foreign country ... should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit of damage to our sovereignty, security and development interests," he said.

Arbitration

Xi's speech attracted wide attention from the international community given that it came amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. The ruling in the arbitration case the Philippines unilaterally initiated against China is to be announced on July 12, according to reports.

China insists the tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has no jurisdiction over the issue because it concerns territory and security issues.

Han Qingxiang, an expert on public administration studies at the Central Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said China has sent a clear signal to the international community that it will not allow any major power to manipulate the world for its own interests.

"China has the capacity, the confidence and the right guidelines to participate in global governance, and that is China's commitment to the world," he said.

Xie Chuntao, another researcher at the Central Party School, added that China's stance on national security and military defense has been widely recognized by the public and has boosted the morale of the whole nation.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/04/2016 page3)