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1st LD Writethru: Xi dismisses "China threat" rhetoric

Xinhua, November 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday reiterated China's commitment to peaceful development and dismissed "China threat" rhetoric.

"The philosophy of peaceful development is in the genes of the Chinese culture," Xi said in a speech before about 450 teachers, students and officials at the National University of Singapore.

"Honoring trustworthiness and cultivating harmony are the basic connotations of China's neighborhood foreign policy," said the Chinese president.

Citing the sufferings China underwent due to foreign invasions and civil wars in recent memory, Xi stressed that "the Chinese people deeply understand the preciousness of peace and will never give up the resolve and desire to safeguard peace."

China is bound to become more prosperous and stronger, but it is in no account an inexorable law of history that a country growing strong is bound to seek hegemony, Xi stressed.

The "China threat" theories hyped by some people stem either from a lack of understanding about China's traditional culture and current policy, or from misunderstanding and prejudice, or from some unspeakable motives, Xi said.

China will stick to the path of peaceful development and an independent, peace-oriented foreign policy, he said. "That is not an expedient tactic, but our strategic choice and solemn commitment."

The Chinese president is in Singapore for a two-day state visit, the second leg of a two-nation Southeast Asia tour that has already taken him to Vietnam. Endi