Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday told a gathering of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that his country will avoid dominating the region, a pledge that comes as Beijing is involved in disputes with bloc members over its broad claims in the South China Sea.
"China firmly opposes hegemony and power politics,” Xi told a virtual gathering to mark three decades of ties between ASEAN and his country, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
He added that Beijing wants to get along with its neighbors and work to maintain lasting peace in the region. China will "never seek hegemony, let alone bullying the small nations as a big country,” Xi said, in comments that echo a veiled swipe he took at the U.S. last year.