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China ‘not interested’ in becoming world’s No 1 economy or global hegemony, says vice foreign minister
- Vice foreign minister Le Yucheng says Communist Party more interested in ‘people’s desire for a better life’ than status as the next superpower
- Comments come a day after China published 2021 growth figure of 8.1 per cent, moving its economy closer to the size of that of the US
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China should pay more attention to surpassing the United States in terms of improving people’s lives and contributing positively to the world, rather than pursuing the goal of becoming the world’s No 1 economy, said the country’s vice foreign minister on Tuesday.
Le Yucheng made the comments a day after China published its 2021 gross domestic product (GDP) growth figure of 8.1 per cent, beating expectations and moving its economy closer to the size of that of the US.
“Exceeding the US in GDP, we are not interested in it, and this is not what we are going after,” he told a forum held by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing.
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“To meet the people’s desire for a better life, this is what the Communist Party of China aims for.”
The World Bank estimated the US economy grew by 5.6 per cent last year.
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