Related: China issues white paper on peaceful development

  ;  Beijing, Dec. 23-- China has once again reiterated its intentions to rise peacefully as a global power, insisting that its new found economy would be beneficial to the world.

    "Building a harmonious world of sustained peace and common prosperity is a common wish of the people throughout the world as well as the lofty goal of China," said a central government paper.

    The white paper, aimed at introducing government policy to foreign readers, was issued two days after China's 2004 gross domestic product was revised upwards by nearly 17 percent, a move that could make China the world's fourth biggest economy based on 2005 calculations.

    The upward revision will likely fuel further global concern over China's rise as it modernizes its military and increasingly consumes greater global resources and becomes richer, analysts said.

    "China did not seek hegemony in the past, nor does it now, and will not do so in the future when it gets stronger," it said.

    "China's development will never pose a threat to anyone, instead it can bring more development opportunities and bigger markets for the rest of the world."

    The paper further reiterated that the nation was still in the process of modernization with "a formidable task of development lying ahead."

    "In 2004, China's aggregate economic volume accounted only for 16.6 percent of that of the United States and its per-capita GDP was merely 3.6 percent that of the US and 4.0 percent of Japan."

    The paper said China would work with other countries to mutually safeguard energy security, while implementing measures to improve energy efficiency and energy conservation.

    China's basic principle in its trade dealings with the world was "mutual benefit" and "win-win cooperation," the paper said, while international diplomacy should strive toward multilateralism, mutual trust and the abandonment of the "Cold War mentality."

    "In the spirit of democracy, harmony, justice and tolerance, China has been playing a constructive role, and making efforts to attain the lofty goal of building a harmonious world together with all other countries."

    (Source: China Daily/AFP)