GUANGZHOU, China (China Daily) — Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Sunday said that China adheres to peaceful development and firmly supports multilateralism, stressing that China’s development will not lead to its replacing any other country, and China will never seek hegemony and engage in expansion.

Wang made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the 2019 Imperial Springs International Forum in southern China’s Guangzhou.

Wang said peace and development are the themes of the times, multilateralism is an inevitable choice for human beings and expanding cooperation and common development are the appeals of all countries in the world.

However, in recent years, there have been twists and turns in economic globalization, and the rise of unilateralism, protectionism and populism has fundamentally impacted the order of multilateralism, said Wang, stressing that the world looks forward to a rational answer in pursuing integration or separation and choosing cooperation or dispute.

Wang expounded on China’s thoughts in front of dozens of the former heads of state and government and leaders of international organizations, and several experts and business leaders.