China `threat’ a Western perception, say Chinese experts

BEIJING - Western countries’ concern over China’s rapid development, which they consider “a threat”, won’t deter the country from contributing to world peace, experts have said.

Shanghai Daily, in an article on its opinion page, said in the face of concerns by some Western countries about China’s ongoing development, which they think is `a threat’, Chinese experts stressed the country will pursue a path of peaceful development.

The article comes a day after US President Barack Obama announced in New Delhi support to India for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. He also signed $15 billion worth of trade deals during his Nov 6-9 India visit. Obama is on a Asia trip during which he will also go to Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.

Shi Yongming, a research fellow at the Department for International Strategic Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, a key government think tank, said: “China’s development depends on world peace and it will contribute to world peace.”

Shi said that to foster global peace, China has given priority to “mutually beneficial cooperation”, which is an effective way to tackle disputes in international relations.

The country’s economy witnessed an annual growth of 11.4 percent on average during the first four years of the 11th Five-year Program (2006-10). The first half of this year saw an 11.1 percent growth, “outshining the pace of developed nations”, a media report said.

It quoted President Hu Jintao as saying recently: “China respects the right of the people of other countries to choose their own path of development.”

“China will never interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, never impose its own will on others, and is dedicated to peaceful settlements of international conflicts.”

Gao Zugui, director of the Institute of World Politics of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said China’s development path was “completely different from the growth mode of some Western powers”.

China would “never follow the footsteps of Western nations that sought hegemony once they grew strong”, Gao said, adding that China’s growth would “never harm or pose a threat to anyone”.

Zhou Qingan, a research fellow at the Center for International Communication Studies at Tsinghua University, observed that while China’s influence would continue to grow in the future, Western nations would become more “worried and vigilant” about China’s growth, and voices would arise calling on China to “shoulder more responsibilities” and “play more important roles”.