Asia must not become arena for ‘big power contest’, says China’s Xi ahead of Apec summit

Amid race for influence in Asia-Pacific region, Chinese president says no attempt to wage a new cold war will ever be allowed by the people or by our times'

The Asia-Pacific is no one's back yard and should not become an arena of big power rivalry, China's president, Xi Jinping, has said, warning against cold war tensions in a region that is a flashpoint of competition between Beijing and Washington.

Xi's remarks on Thursday came ahead of Friday's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Bangkok, and were an apparent reference to US efforts with regional allies and partners to blunt what they see as China's growing coercive economic and military influence in the region.