Xi says China not to seek proxies or fill 'vacuum' in Middle East

CAIRO -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday that China will neither look for proxies nor try to fill any "vacuum" in the Middle East.

Beijing also has no intention of building any sphere of influence in the region, Xi said in a speech at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

"Instead of looking for proxies, China promotes peace talks in the Middle East; instead of seeking any sphere of influence, China calls on all nations in the region to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative; and instead of attempting to fill any 'vacuum,' China aspires to build a network of mutually beneficial partnerships," said the Chinese president.

China and Arab nations "should be builders of peace, promoters of development, boosters of industrialization, supporters of stability and partners of people-to-people exchanges in the Middle East," Xi said.

China's Middle East policy and related measures, Xi said, will only be determined by the rights and wrongs of relevant issues as well as the fundamental interests of the Middle Eastern people.