A Chinese official said Wednesday that China has no intention of threatening or challenging other countries.

Wang Guoqing, deputy director of the Information Office of the State Council, made the statement when asked to comment on a Japanese report that China's development posed threat to Japan.

"The saying that China's development is a threat is groundless, " Wang said, quoting the remarks made by Chinese President Hu Jintao in a meeting with the heads of seven Japan-China friendship organizations, who paid a joint visit to China in late March.

Noting that both China and Japan stand at an important stage of development, Hu said that China has rapid economic growth, better national strength and improving lives of the people since the implementation of China's reform and opening-up policy.

"However, China is still a developing country with per capita GDP in 2005 reaching 1,700 U.S. dollars, less than 5 percent of that of Japan," Hu said.

Hu said China is still faced with arduous tasks, including seeking a balanced development between city and countryside, building an eco-friendly society and building a harmonious society. It will take China dozens of year to realize modernization.

Hu said China firmly follows the path of peaceful development because it hopes to create a peaceful international environment for its development and boost world peace with its own development.

Hu emphasized that China follows an independent and peaceful foreign policy and has no intention of threatening or challenging other countries.

"We hope to coexist with all the countries in the world equally and friendly so that we can achieve common development," Hu said, explaining that China's policy of national defense is self-defensive and the defense is aimed at maintaining national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"China didn't seek hegemony in the past. It is not doing so at present. Neither will it do so in the future," Hu said.

Source: Xinhua