SINGAPORE - A prosperous and stable China does not pose a threat to any country, and will only lead to more development opportunities for other countries, visiting Vice-President Xi Jinping said in Singapore on Monday.

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Speaking on the Chinese economy and China's relations with the outside world at a reception marking the 20th anniversary of China-Singapore diplomatic relations, Xi said China remains a developing nation despite the fact that the country's GDP is expected to become the world's second-largest this year.

China's development still remains "unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable", he told an audience of 400 business representatives from China and Singapore.

"We will have to work hard for many years to achieve modernization and bring a happy and prosperous life to all the Chinese people," he added.

"China's further development will only bring more opportunities to the world - its neighbors in particular," he said.

He stressed China will continue to undertake due responsibilities for regional peace and common development.

China will continue to pursue good-neighborly relations, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) based on mutual respect and equality, and will continue to support ASEAN's community-building efforts and its leading role in regional cooperation, Xi added.

China and ASEAN established and launched into full operation on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area at the beginning of this year, making China the largest trading partner of ASEAN and ASEAN the fourth largest of China.

Singapore is an important member of ASEAN, and has played an important role in development of relations between China and ASEAN, said Xi when meeting with Senior Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong earlier.

Xi stressed that China will together with Singapore to maintain negotiations and coordination to achieve new progress in East Asia cooperation.

Goh said that under the current situation, Singapore should explore and strengthen cooperation in various fields including economy, trade and finance so as to deepen the relations of the two countries.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, two-way trade between Singapore and China has surged from $2.83 billion 20 years ago to nearly $50 billion today.

Xi left Beijing on Sunday to pay official visits to Singapore, South Africa, Angola and Botswana. He will be in South Africa from Nov 16 to 19, where he and South African Vice-President Kgalema Motlanthe will co-chair the fourth meeting of the China-South Africa Bi-National Commission.

"The visit is an important event for diplomatic relations between our two countries," South African Ambassador Bheki Langa told Xinhua.

Xi's visit influences "the recently signed CSP that envisages high-level visits between the two sides," Langa said, referring to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership forged by South African President Jacob Zuma and President Hu Jintao in August.

China became South Africa's biggest trade partner and export destination as bilateral trade hit a record of $16 billion in 2009 - 10 times as much as that in 1998. Bilateral trade volume in the first nine months of this year reached $17.3 billion, up 50.6 percent year-on-year.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 11/16/2010 page23)