Shanghai—China, the rising world superpower, said it was not a competitor with other economies in the global market, but rather a “good friend” that could help spur development in its neighboring countries.
Yujun Yang, former Ministry of National Defense Information Bureau director and spokesperson said China wants to be friends with all nations of the world.
“China is a friendly nation. We want to make friends with everybody. We won’t go into war with any country,” said Yang when pressed if China would to war over the maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Despite a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, China has maintained its claim over most of the South China Sea.
But Yujun, now dean and senior research fellow at the Academy of Media and Public Affairs of the Communication University of China noted that while China maintains its claim over the disputed waters, it does not intend to use force to gain control of what it believes belong to the country.
A military official before his retirement from the Chinese government service, he said China will always opt for peaceful negotiations to settle disputes. He said it is better to sit down and talk than resort to destruction.
“China will not destroy nations, but instead, will help build nations, help build infrastructure, help give jobs. China will always be a partner in nation-building and development,” he said.
He also noted that China’s continuing technological innovations should not be taken as a move of China to be competitive.
“We are doing this not to compete, but to make life easier and more comfortable for all the people of the world and improve livelihood,” said Yang in an interview during a dinner here with Shanghai municipal officials.
In particular, he said, the Chinese people are taking initiatives to make Shanghai and Beijing investment-friendly.
“We want investors to come to us in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities of China and make investments,” said Yujun, one of the speakers during the 10-day China-ASEAN Center Advanced Studies Seminar Workshop on New Media sponsored by CUC.
With $18,450 per capita GDP in 2017, Shanghai, located in eastern China, is the country’s largest economic center. It’s GDP is equivalent to a medium-developed country or region.
Shanghai officials said a total of 625 multinational companies have set up their regional headquarters in Shanghai along with 426 foreign-funded R&D centers. The city is also an important international shipping center, with its ports handling 750.5079 million tons of goods in 2017.
As of 2017, Shanghai has established sister-city relationships or friendship ties with 85 cities, provinces, stares, regions, prefectures, counties or districts from 57 countries.
Shanghai officials said China is a big market for the Philippines, buying its bananas and other agricultural products.
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