China is always firmly committed to the path of peaceful development, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan said on Monday, stressing that the country will never seek hegemony, expansion or "spheres of influence." 

Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the eighth World Peace Forum at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Wang said China cannot develop itself in isolation from the world, and that the world needs China for global prosperity. 

With the international order undergoing changes and adjustments today, China calls for efforts to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, he noted, underscoring Beijing's commitment to multilateralism. 

Wang urged all countries in the world to adhere to the ideal of peaceful development, promote economic globalization, and make joint efforts to build a fairer, more reasonable, more stable and more effective international order. 

Organized by Tsinghua University in partnership with the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, the forum is a high-level non-governmental seminar focusing on international security topics. This year's forum will last two days.