Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the World Economic Forum WEF Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda and delivers a special address via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2021.
Li Xueren | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday his country will not pursue hegemony regardless of how powerful it becomes.
“However strong it may grow, China will never seek hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence, nor will China ever engage in an arms race,” Xi said at the opening ceremony of the annual Boao Forum for Asia in the Chinese province of Hainan.
Xi also promoted China as a champion for globalization and the multilateral trading system.
Without naming any countries, Xi said international rules should not be set by one or a few countries.
U.S.-China relations were off to a rough start under the administration of President Joe Biden.
Biden said last month that China has “an overall goal to become the leading country, the wealthiest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world.” Biden said he will not let that happen under his watch.
