President pledges peaceful growth

TOKYO: China will never be a military threat to any nation, President Hu Jintao said here yesterday, while vowing the country will continue to grow through peaceful development.

"China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. We will not join any arms race or become a military threat to any country," Hu said in a speech at Tokyo's Waseda University that was broadcast live in both China and Japan.

China will never seek hegemony or territorial expansion, he said, adding that peaceful development is the strategic choice of the Chinese government and its people.