'China threat' theory should be laid to rest

Recently the phrase "sharp power" has become fashionable in the West when talking about China's efforts to build its image overseas. But as a Chinese saying goes, this is new wine in an old bottle, since it is nothing but another twist on the "China threat" theory that has long gone stale.

As Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the country's top legislature on Thursday, those who do not have bias or practice double standards will not see China as a threat.

To drive home his point, Wang stressed the path of China's development over the past decades has been peaceful, and it now contributes more than 30 percent of the world's economic growth and is the largest contributor of troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions among all the permanent members of the UN Security Council. All of which should have served to dispel suspicions about its intentions.