China opposes seeking absolute security at expense of others

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that no country should seek absolute security of itself at the expense of others' security.

"We cannot just have the security of one or some countries while leaving the rest insure," Xi said in his speech delivered at the opening ceremony of a Asian security summit in Shanghai.

"One who tries to blow other' s oil lamp will get his beard on fire," the president warned, quoting a Kazakh proverb at the fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Xi called for common security for Asia, adding that Asian countries, with their interests and security closely intertwined, will "swim or sink together" and increasingly becoming a community of common destiny.

"Common security means respecting and ensuring the security of each and every country," he said. "To beef up a military alliance targeted at a third party is not conducive to regional common security."

Xi also called for equal security for every Asian country, saying that each of them has the equal right to participate in the regional security affairs as well as the responsibility of upholding security in the region.

"No country should attempt to dominate regional security affairs or infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of other countries," he said.

CICA was established in 1992 as a forum for dialogue and consultations and promotion of confidence building measures among its members on security and development in Asia, a land of great diversity.

Xi said in his speech that security must be inclusive and the diversity and differences among Asian countries should be turned into energy and driving force for regional security cooperation.

"We should abide by the basic norms governing international relations such as respecting sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs, respect the social systems and development paths chosen by countries on their own," he said.

The legitimate security concerns of all parties should be fully respected and accommodated, Xi added.