China Supports World Peace
President Xi Jinping vowed on Monday that China would always uphold world peace and international rules, amid concerns expressed by the United States and other countries over its increasing assertiveness globally. The comments come after Taiwan said this month that military tension with China was at its worst in more than 40 years, amid mounting worries that the giant neighbor might try to take back by military force the self-ruled island it claims as its own. In addition to tension with Taiwan, China has been more assertive in staking its claims to disputed territory on its Himalayan border with India, to tracts of the South China Sea disputed with some Southeast Asian nations, and over some islands in the East China Sea disputed with Japan. In a speech marking the 50th anniversary of China's return to the United Nations, Xi said China would always be the builder of world peace and a protector of international order, using the phrase the "common values of all mankind" that he coined for the 100th anniversary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.