PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT

To make clear China's future path in terms of international relations, Xi announced that the country will stick to the road of peaceful development, but will never give up its legitimate rights and will never sacrifice national core interests. He made the remarks at a group study session on Jan 29 with members of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau.

Xi said China will adhere to an "open, cooperative and win-win" development model with due consideration for both the domestic and international situations.

China will take a more active posture in international affairs and will pursue its development by seeking a peaceful international environment while safeguarding and promoting world peace, he vowed.

On Dec 5, 2012, Xi also used his first meeting with foreign guests since his election to stress China's commitment to peace and its opening-up policy.

"China is following a path of peaceful development," the leader told a group of foreign experts working in China.

The country's development will never be a challenge or a threat to any other country or the world at large, said Xi, who is also chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission.

"China will never seek hegemony or expansionism," he added.

During his meeting with former US President Jimmy Carter on Dec 13, Xi called for more "positive energy" for the China-US partnership.

"Positive energy" is a term popularly used in Chinese cyberspace to refer to giving impetus to something.

Both China and the United States should be innovative and make efforts to accumulate this "positive energy" to build a China-US cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and benefit. They should also create a new type of bilateral ties between major powers, regardless of difficulties, he suggested.

When in Guangdong, Xi inspected troops under the Guangzhou Military Area Command. He stressed the need to build a strong armed forces.

"Bear in mind that it is the soul of the military to obey the command of the Party without compromise, it is the top priority for the military to be able to win battles, and it is fundamental that the military consolidate itself through governing the troops lawfully and austerely, so as to reinforce its development featuring loyalty to the Party, modernization and standardization," Xi told officers.

Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with China's foreign ministry, said Xi used much of his speech at the Political Bureau study session to explain why China will stick to the road of peaceful development.

Xi underscored China's "persistence in strategy," meaning the country will not waver in its resolve on peaceful development, he said.

"This is a comprehensive diplomatic strategy," according to Qu. "It will not change in a short period or for a single incident."