BEIJING, MAR 21 (DNA) – Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday that China pursues peaceful development and will never seek expansion.

It is a misinterpretation to see China’s cooperation with other countries and its assistance to underdeveloped ones as strategic expansion, Li told a press conference following the conclusion of the annual legislative session.

“We will focus on managing our own affairs well,” he said.

China’s business cooperation with other countries follows market principles and business rules, and its assistance to the developing countries comes without any political strings attached, which is far from political infiltration, the premier said.

Li noted that in pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative, China follows the principle of seeking shared benefits through consultation and collaboration.

He said China’s economic growth contributes to both global recovery and global peace, as stronger cooperation and trade bring more negotiations and keep conflicts away.

As a developing country, China hopes for a peaceful international environment to achieve modernization, he said, promising that the country will not seek hegemony even if it grows stronger in the future.

China will not abandon a single inch of its own land, nor will it take or occupy an inch of land of others, the premier said.

While China is ready to fulfill its due international responsibilities as a large developing country, the country will focus on managing its own affairs well, as it is still confronted with many difficulties and pressing issues concerning people’s life, he said.

“China is clear about the heavy agenda it faces,” said the premier.