Xi issues veiled warning to US, Asian allies over alliances

Xi's remarks came two days after the US indicted five Chinese military officers for serious cybersecurity breaches and allegedly stealing trade secrets from six American entities - in the first-ever charges against known state actors.

China and Vietnam ties have worsened after Beijing sent a deep-water oil drilling rig into contested waters in the South China Sea earlier this month following which violent protests in Vietnam killed at least four Chinese nationals.  

Separately, the Philippines accuses China of reclaiming land on a disputed reef within its exclusive economic zone under a UN convention, while China and Japan are at loggerheads over disputed islands in the East China Sea.  During his April visit to Asia, US President Barack Obama also sought to reassure allies like Japan and the Philippines that America's strategic shift towards Asia and the Pacific, perceived as an attempt to counter China's rising influence, was very much true.

However, Xi also pledged to peacefully resolve China's disputes over territory.

“China stays committed to seeking peaceful settlement of disputes with other countries over territorial sovereignty, and maritime rights and interests,” he said.