China will never use force to achieve goals, Xi vows

President Xi Jinping vowed yesterday never to use force to achieve Beijing's goals, including in maritime disputes, just days after US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia.

In an address to the Australian Parliament, Xi said his giant developing nation needed peace.

"A review of history shows that countries that attempted to pursue development with force invariably failed," he said in a lengthy address in which he also reminisced about kangaroo and koala encounters during previous visits to Australia.

"This is what history teaches us. China is dedicated to upholding peace. Peace is precious and needs to be protected."

But he added: "We must always be on high alert against the factors that may deprive us of peace."

China is locked in disputes with four Southeast Asian countries over lonely outcrops in the South China Sea, and with Japan over another set of islets.

The leaders of the United States, Australia and Japan on Sunday called for the peaceful settlement of the maritime disputes. The day before, Obama had warned of "disputes over territory - remote islands and rocky shoals - that threaten to spiral into confrontation".