China's Xi speaks of more assertive foreign policy

China President Xi Jinping expressed his desire for China to play a larger part in international affairs during his Wednesday meeting with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, South China Morning Post reported. Xi reiterated China’s responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and its ability to fill the role. Zhao Junjie, an international relations specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, see this as a shift away from China’s past passivity in international affairs, saying “China does not want to be the supporting actor in global affairs, and it wants to be in leading positions.”