By Tom HANCOCK
China will never compromise on sovereignty, President Xi Jinping said Friday ahead of an international tribunal ruling over Beijing's maritime claims, as he celebrated the Communist Party's 95th anniversary.
The ruling party must maintain absolute power in the country, strengthen its military and enhance its role on the world stage, Xi told serried ranks of top officials in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, to rapturous applause.
"No foreign country... should expect us to swallow the bitter pill of harm to our national sovereignty, security or development interests," Xi said, adding: "We are not afraid of trouble."
His remarks come as regional tensions rise over Beijing's claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, with the US sending naval patrols close to artificial islands Beijing has built in the disputed waters.
Xi took an apparent stab at the US, saying: "We will not show up at other people's front doors to flex our muscles. That does not show strength or scare anyone."
An international tribunal in The Hague will rule on July 12 in a case brought by the Philippines challenging China's claims in the strategic waterway.
Beijing insists that the Permanent Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction over the issue and has boycotted the proceedings.
Since assuming the party's top post in 2012, Xi has rapidly consolidated power while overseeing a more assertive foreign policy and a tighter authoritarian stance at home.
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