China reiterates to resolve difference with neighbors through negotiations

NANNING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China reiterated Friday to resolve difference with neighbors concerning territorial land, territorial sea and maritime rights and interests peacefully through friendly negotiations.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping made the remarks as he addressed the opening ceremony of the ninth China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and 2012 Forum on China-ASEAN Free Trade Area held in south China's Nanning City.

"The more progress China makes in development and the closer its links with the region and the world, the more important it is for the country to have a stable regional environment and a peaceful international environment," Xi said.

The ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"Having gone through numerous vicissitudes in modern times, we are deeply aware of the importance of development and the preciousness of peace," Xi said, adding that China will be all the more determined to go for peaceful development, follow the win-win strategy of opening-up, and implement the policy of building friendship and partnerships with neighboring countries.

Xi said China will always be a staunch force for peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

"We are firm in safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and are committed to resolving difference with neighbors concerning territorial land, territorial sea and maritime rights and interests peacefully through friendly negotiations," said the vice president.

"We will never seek hegemony, nor behave in a hegemonic manner," he said.

"By peaceful development, we mean to develop ourselves by upholding world peace and to uphold world peace through our own development," he said.

At the opening ceremony, Xi also said the current economic situation in China is "generally sound."

"We have full confidence in our ability to speed up the shift of growth model, stabilize external demand, expand domestic demand and build a society of higher level initial prosperity in an all-round way that benefits the over one billion people," he said.

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