China sticks to peaceful development despite squabbles

Though territorial squabbles between nations are not uncommon, recent sea disputes between China and its neighbors have attracted worldwide attention, with some even claiming an ever-growing China might be seeking "dominance."

This viewpoint is groundless.

China's foreign policy, as outlined at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) last month, stresses peaceful coexistence and cooperation for win-win results as the country knows well that nations are much intertwined.

TRADE BOOMS DESPITE TERRITORIAL DISPUTES

Some Western media reports have rushed to describe China's recent squabbles with several neighboring countries over its territories in the South and East China Seas as a "swaggering giant waving fist at its tiny and frightened neighbors."

However, words and actions, in China's case, are rather defensive than offensive.

Having benefited a lot from a peaceful environment in the past over three decades, China is deeply committed to solving international disputes by peaceful means and opposes the random use of force, and has never provoked any of those maritime disputes.

Its disputes with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, an integral part of China's territory since ancient times, flared up only after the Japanese staged a series of provocations, including their government's move to "buy" the islands despite China's strong opposition.

Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with China's foreign ministry, said China is reluctant to see the situation spiral out of control, but that is totally up to the Japanese side.

China's stand is to try to properly solve territorial disputes through dialogue and negotiations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has recently reiterated this stance, saying China "insists that all relevant disputes with neighboring countries should be resolved through friendly negotiation and consultation."

Despite tensions at sea, trade and investment ties between China and other Asian countries have boomed in the past decade.

Trade between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) soared by about four times from 2001 to 2011.

Meanwhile, during a series of East Asian leaders' meetings in late November, ASEAN members, together with China and five other Asia-Pacific countries, announced the decision to launch talks about what could be the world's largest regional free trade deal if completed.

China actively supports the endeavor to build the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS TESTED

When Beijing and an Asia-pivoting Washington appeared at the same conference venue at an ASEAN summit last month, some were worried that the Pacific might be too small to accommodate the ambitions of the two major powers.

The relationship between China and the United States, clearly one of the world's most important dynamics, has been tested over the past couple of years as Beijing and Washington try hard to manage their differences and promote the China-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.

The CPC party congress vowed that China will improve and grow its relations with developed countries by expanding areas of cooperation and properly addressing differences with them.

Analysts say the "new type of relations" proposed by China is characterized by win-win cooperation, mutual trust and favorable interaction, shedding the traditional idea of a "zero-sum game" and the cold-war mentality.

Qu, the expert, likened opportunities and benefits yielded by such a new type of relations to a feast attended by an increasing number of guests. China believes that more food should be cooked to meet the expanding demands of the eaters, rather than leaving the eaters fighting with each other, he said.

"The world is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States with their different paths of development," he added.

Besides, experts say China has developed a strong awareness of linking its own interests with those of the world, as manifested at the CPC party congress: "Mankind has only one earth to live on, and countries have only one world to share."

CHINA'S MILITARY ADVANCEMENT POSES NO THREAT

The image of China's J-15 fighter jet touching down on the deck of the newly-launched Liaoning aircraft carrier testifies to China's latest advancement in military technology.

Some critics say China may intend, in the long term, to outspread its military power with an increasing military budget.

But Ding Yifan, a researcher with China's State Council's Development Research Center, said that China's expanding military budget is only reflecting its growing economy and is more like a compensation for its neglect in the past years due to insufficient funding.

"The buildup is nothing sudden. Instead, it has been a consistent and phase-in-phase process," Ding said, adding China has never changed its goal or direction of military development.

Analysts have also noted that China's military modernization is defensive in nature. As a global economic power, China has a tremendous number of economic sea lanes to protect. China is justified to develop its military capabilities to safeguard its sovereignty and protect its vast interests around the world.

At present, China's national security faces complex, diverse challenges. To safeguard its national security and maintain a favorable external environment is the precondition for China to achieve its strategic goal of building an all-round well-off society, Geng Yansheng, spokesman of China's Ministry of National Defense, once told a press conference.

Experts have also pointed out that the advancement of China's weaponry can contribute to regional peace and stability as China has played an active role in United Nations peace-keeping missions and joined international efforts to fight pirates off the coast of Somali.

When China has a more balanced and powerful army, the regional situation would be more stable, as various forces threatening regional peace would not dare to act rashly, Ding, the researcher said.