ISLAMABAD, 7 April 2005 — China is not a threat to other nations of the region and will never seek to dominate Asia, said visiting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao here yesterday.
“Some people are worried that a stronger and more developed China will pose a threat to other countries. Such a worry is completely misplaced,” he told a conference of Asian and Middle Eastern ministers in the Pakistani capital.
Wen is on his maiden tour of four South Asian countries, amid worries in Beijing about a changing geopolitical climate as the United States looks to boost New Delhi as a major power.
“China will never seek hegemony,” Wen said in his keynote address to the Asian Cooperation Dialogue’s 26 member nations.
“Even if we become stronger and more developed, we will not stand in the way of others, still less become a threat to others.”
Earlier, Wen met Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf yesterday at President House here. Musharraf expressed satisfaction over recently signed bilateral agreements saying that the friendship between the two nations will be further strengthened in the future.
Musharraf called completion of the Gawadar Port a landmark in Sino-Pak friendly relations. The two leaders also exchanged views on key regional and international issues.
Washington has recently put an emphasis on strengthening ties with New Delhi, a move that analysts said would likely be seen by China as an attempt by the United States to contain Beijing’s rising power.
The Chinese premier said Asian countries should focus on trade and economic links, adding that Beijing would continue to broaden and deepen its cooperation with the rest of the region.
Wen is expected to woo India when he visits New Delhi on April 9 for four days. He will also spend a day in Bangladesh and another day in Sri Lanka after leaving Pakistan today.
New Delhi has previously been sidelined by Beijing, which traditionally placed greater importance on relations with India’s main rival Pakistan.
