CANBERRA: China's pursuit of peaceful development is a choice made in accordance with national interests, Cai Wu, minister of the State Council Information Office, said yesterday.

Cai, who is leading a Chinese media delegation on a week-long visit to Australia, made the remarks while speaking at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra.

Cai said China's peaceful development should be interpreted as an attempt to accelerate growth in a peaceful international environment while promoting world peace and prosperity.

"It requires China to show an all-dimensional openness to the world," Cai said in English. "It aims for win-win results and common development with the international community amid the trend of economic globalization.

"China's peaceful development is characterized by peace, opening up, harmony and co-operation," he said.

Cai praised Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for his recent remarks on policy towards China.

"We don't want to pursue a policy of containment towards China," said Downer in mid-March at tripartite security talks with the foreign ministers of Japan and the United States. "There's nothing wrong with the growing economic power of China. It's a good thing for Australia."

"It is a wise policy," Cai said, adding that China's growth offers the world investment opportunities, a huge and profitable market and more employment.

However, China's per-capita income of US$1,703 last year is a mere one-18th that of Australia; and China has a lot to learn from the country, he said.

There are currently about 100,000 Chinese students studying in Australia; and each year, about 800,000 people visit each other's countries.

Cai expressed hope that a range of cultural activities to be held this year in Australia will make China's history and culture better known.

Source: China Daily