China won’t give up an inch of territory: Xi

Beijing, (Hindustan Times), June 28, 2018 - China is committed to peace and will never pursue expansionism but will not give up an “inch” of territory, President Xi Jinping told visiting US defence secretary James Mattis at a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.  

Mattis is in Beijing as tension between the two countries mount over a looming trade war and China’s assertive claims on territorial rights in the dispute-ridden South China sea.  “Our stance is steadfast and clear-cut when it comes to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Xi was quoted as saying by the official news agency, Xinhua, adding that “any inch of territory passed down from ancestors cannot be lost while we want nothing from others”.  

“What is other people’s, we do not want at all,” Xi said.  

Mattis told Xi that the US “…attaches great importance to relations between the two countries and the two militaries, and military ties play a vital role in the bilateral relations”.