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Conciliatory China rejects 'hegemony'; pledges to take the lead in funds 'for peace and development'

Wednesday, September 30th 2015 - 09:42 UTC
Full article 8 comments
Xi said that China would “take the lead” in setting up an 8,000-troop “permanent peacekeeping police squad” that could be deployed at short notice. Xi said that China would “take the lead” in setting up an 8,000-troop “permanent peacekeeping police squad” that could be deployed at short notice.
Xi, however, said that the United Nations allowed all countries to “choose their own sovereignty and development paths.” Xi, however, said that the United Nations allowed all countries to “choose their own sovereignty and development paths.”
“All countries are equals. The big, strong and rich should not bully the small, weak and poor” “All countries are equals. The big, strong and rich should not bully the small, weak and poor”

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised support for a permanent UN police squad and African peacekeeping as he vowed a peaceful rise for the Asian power.

 Paying his first-ever visit to the United Nations, Xi took a new step to address criticism that China has not taken responsibility in accordance with its growing size.

Xi said that China, which has increasingly joined multinational defense efforts, would “take the lead” in setting up an 8,000-troop “permanent peacekeeping police squad” that could be deployed at short notice.

Xi also announced $100 million in funding to the African Union to support a similar rapid reaction force, as well as a broader 10-year, $1 billion UN-China “peace and development fund.”

China's economy has soared in the past 15 years to become the largest after the United States, and the world's most populous nation has sought to be treated as a major global power.

But China's neighbors and the United States have voiced concern over Beijing's territorial claims, while Western nations have charged that Beijing's interest in poor nations is purely mercantile rather than focused on development.

Xi hit back in his speech, saying China was “committed to peaceful development.”

“No matter how the international landscape may evolve and how strong China may become, China will never pursue hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence,” he said in the address to the United Nations.

Xi, however, said that the United Nations allowed all countries to “choose their own sovereignty and development paths.”

The comment was likely a veiled allusion to the frequent criticism of China's human rights record, which includes the imprisonment of democracy activists such as Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.

“All countries are equals. The big, strong and rich should not bully the small, weak and poor,” Xi said.

“The law of the jungle leaves the weak at the mercy of the strong. It is not a way for countries to conduct their relations,” Xi said. “Those who adopt the high-handed approach of using force will find that they are only lifting a rock to drop on their own feet”.

But overall Xi transmitted a conciliatory message on his trip to the United States, which comes amid growing jitters about the growth trajectory of China's economy. On Saturday he promised $2 billion in development assistance for poor nations as part of a UN-led effort to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030.

A day earlier on a state visit to Washington, Xi promised a more aggressive effort to combat climate change including a system to cap emissions.

Categories: Politics, International.

Top Comments

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  • Brasileiro

    The friendliest way to maintain hegemony is to affirm the contrary.

    China, gentlemen, is the superpower of today's world. In all aspects!

    Sep 30th, 2015 - 10:09 am 0
  • Clyde15

    #1
    Tell that to the Tibetans or China's neighbours !

    Sep 30th, 2015 - 11:12 am 0
  • Skip

    I've not read such a load of toddle for ages.

    China's ACTIONS in the South China Sea speak volumes louder than their WORDS at the UN.

    “The law of the jungle leaves the weak at the mercy of the strong. It is not a way for countries to conduct their relations,” Xi said. “Those who adopt the high-handed approach of using force will find that they are only lifting a rock to drop on their own feet”.

    Because bullying Vietnam, Phillipines, Malaysia, Japan and Brunei in territorial disputes is not HIGH HANDED.

    And occupying Tibet and colonising it with Han Chinese isn't using FORCE.

    And threatening Taiwan isn't BULLYING the weak.

    China isn't a superpower. Some people need to look up the definition. China might be a world power but is far from a superpower.

    Thank God!

    Sep 30th, 2015 - 11:13 am 0
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