China stays on path of peaceful development

Beijing will never follow the beaten track of big power seeking hegemony, white paper says

China will never seek hegemony, expansion or spheres of influence, and the People's Liberation Army will continue to develop its capability with a "reasonable and appropriate" budget to protect national interests and world peace, a defense white paper published on Wednesday said.

The white paper, on China's national defense, published by the Information Office of the State Council, is the 10th of its kind since 1998 and the first comprehensive one since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.