Beijing’s message for Asean – China doesn’t want to become a regional hegemon

ByAtlasnews

Jul 1, 2026 #Asean, #Beijing, #China, #energy security, #Greater Bay Area-Asean summit, #Guangdong province, #Hong Kong, #Iran, #Persian Gulf, #Shenzhen, #Singapore, #South China Morning Post, #South China Morning Post (SCMP), #Southeast Asia, #Sun Haiyan, #US

AdvertisementChina-Asean relations China Diplomacy

Beijing’s message for Asean – China doesn’t want to become a regional hegemon

External forces are undermining China’s efforts to support the global order, senior Communist Party official Sun Haiyan says

3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen

Provocations by certain politicians only prove their underlying trust in China’s commitment to peace, as they would never dare to provoke a real hegemon in this manner, said Sun Haiyan, deputy head of the Communist Party's International Department. Photo: May Tse

Fan ChenPublished: 6:00am, 2 Jul 2026In comments directed at Asean, a top Communist Party official reiterated that Beijing did not want to become a regional hegemon, while vowing to strengthen its energy cooperation with the Southeast Asian bloc.

“For a country like China, which has ‘harmonious coexistence’ embedded in its DNA, it is extremely difficult to undergo a ‘genetic mutation’ and become a militaristic hegemony that bullies the small and weak,” said Sun Haiyan, deputy head of the party’s International Department.

Sun, who handles party-to-party diplomacy, was speaking at the Greater Bay Area-Asean summit in Shenzhen, southern China’s Guangdong province, on Wednesday.

The event was organised by the South China Morning Post.

She said the country’s history had influenced its cultural genes, which, like biological genes, “will be passed down through the generations in a large proportion”.

“For example, some countries in the world have a history of war, so it is really difficult for them to maintain peace for a long time.”

AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed00:0000:001.00x