THE Chinese ambassador to Australia gave assurances today that his country’s increased involvement in the Pacific, particularly in policing efforts, should not cause alarm to Australia.

Xiao Qian, speaking in Canberra, said that Australia had no reason to worry about China’s intentions in the region.

“Pacific Islands countries is an area where China and Australia can co-operate and can contribute together, instead of asking them to choose between the two,” he said.

“What China has been doing is to help their social stability, economic development and for bilateral trade relations.

“We’re not seeking military strategies, we’re not seeking military purposes and there’s no need for any so-called anxiety on the part of Australia.”

Mr Xiao added that China was keen to “continue the good momentum” in relations with Australia following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing in November, the first by an Australian leader in seven years.

On the domestic front, the Chinese government announced that the country’s economy had continued to grow at strongly from October to December, beating its target of 5 per cent. Newly published official data gave the growth rate as 5.2 per cent.

China’s economy is the world’s second biggest, with only the United States’ being larger, and has been a key driver of global growth. 

Industrial output, which measures activity in the manufacturing, mining and utilities sectors, rose 4.6 per cent last year compared with 2022, while retail sales of consumer goods grew 7.2 per cent.

Economists predict that the US economy is likely to have grown by about 2.4 per cent during 2023, with a modest 2 per cent growth forecast for this year.