Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Saturday that a peacefully rising China will not be a threat but an opportunity to other countries of the world.

In response to a question, Li said a new conception of security should be upheld today, which highlights mutual trust, mutual benefit and equal consultation. China's development itself is a big contribution to the world.

"The most outstanding feature of China's development is peace. We develop ourselves neither by colonialism nor by bullying others, but in peace. Some Western scholars have pointed out that a peacefully rising China will not be a threat but an opportunity to neighboring countries or other countries of the world," Li said.

He noted that China and the United States also have mutual interests in the Asia-Pacific region. The two sides could expand consensus and develop all kinds of cooperation through consultation and coordination.

He said China will develop a coordinated and sustainable economy by reducing energy consumption and pollution, which will be a contribution to the world's environmental protection and sustainable development.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2004)