China Will Never Seek Hegemony

One of the basic principles of China's foreign policy.

China is a developing socialist country. The socialist system determines that China's economic construction and national prosperity can only be achieved through the path of independence and self-reliance, unlike the imperialist countries, which rely on invasion and China implements socialist public ownership.

On the one hand, China needs a peaceful environment to overcome its economic and cultural backwardness and achieve socialist modernization, on the other hand, China needs to safeguard national independence and dignity and oppose imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism. Mao Zedong said: "The Chinese people should resolutely, thoroughly, cleanly and totally eliminate the great-power doctrine in international dealings." "We publicly educate Party members and people not to make the mistake of Great-Nation Chauvinism.”

In the early 1970s, Mao Zedong put forward the policy of "Dig Holes Deep, Accumulate Great Stores of Grain and Seek No Hegemony", indicating that China opposed hegemony and would never claim hegemony itself. He said, "in the future, if the next generation of China becomes hegemonic, the people of the world should rise up against it and overthrow it together.”

Accordingly, Zhou Enlai, on behalf of the Chinese government, solemnly declared: "We have decided on one principle, not to claim hegemony, no matter how developed and powerful China may become in the future.” "In any case, China will not be a superpower, not now and not in the future.” The so-called superpower is actually an imperialist country that invades, interferes, controls, subverts and plunders other countries everywhere and seeks world hegemony.

Deng Xiaoping repeatedly emphasized this policy in the new historical period. He mentioned it when he met with Prime Minister Mintoff of the Republic of Malta on 29 June 1982 and with President Figueiredo of Brazil on 29 May 1984. Leaders after Deng Xiaoping also reaffirmed this principle.

New China's declaration that it will never seek hegemony or do not become a superpower established an important norm that must be observed for the healthy development of the new Chinese diplomacy. The introduction and implementation of this principle also helped to dispel some people's doubts about the new China, and helped to expose the deceptive publicity of the Chinese threat theory created by the hostile forces.