China will never provoke maritime confrontations or pose any security threat to any country, said Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), at a discussion on the issue of strengthening maritime struggle and maritime security cooperation, China News Service reported.

The discussion was jointly held by the General Staff Headquarters (GSH) of the PLA and the related state organs on Feb. 4.

Strategic cooperation between the Chinese military and state organs has been fruitful in recent years, Qi said in his speech. Currently China’s security is mainly threatened by maritime disputes. Sticking to a peaceful development path, China will never provoke maritime confrontations, never threaten other countries, and never interfere with free navigations within the framework of international laws, Qi said.

He also stressed that the rest of the world should not underestimate the Chinese people's strong will to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity, maritime rights, and core national interests.