China will firmly abide by its defensive national defense policy and will seek neither military expansion nor hegemony, Chinese International Strategy Institute President Xiong Guangkai said on Friday.

Xiong made the remarks during a speech at the Asian Security and Defense Institute of Japan, where he expounded China's guidelines on security and defense as well as military exchanges.

About China's defensive nuclear strategy, Xiong reiterated that China has been and will be coherently adhering to its policy of not resorting to nuclear at a first place at any time and in any circumstances, and will keep its unconditional promise of not using and not threatening to use nuclear weapons on any country or region free of nuclear.

China endorses general prohibition and extermination of nuclear weapons, he said.

About China's policy on military exchanges with other countries, Xiong said that while standing by its peaceful co-existence principles, China supports the new security notion of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and synergy, and calls for the development of external military relations which are not aimed at alignment, confrontation, or targeting a third country.

He also introduced to the audience China's peaceful development policy and things related with China's defense expenditure and foreign military exchanges.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2007)