Addressing the Australian parliament in an honour bestowed only on one other Chinese leader, Hu Jintao in 2003, Xi said: "China remains unshakable in its resolve to pursue peaceful development."
"Neither turbulence nor war serves the fundamental interests of the Chinese people."
"There's only one trend in today's world, that is, the trend of peace and development and win/win cooperation," he added in a candid address in which he also reminisced about kangaroos and koala encounters during previous visits to Australia.
China is locked in disputes with four Southeast Asian countries over lonely outcrops in the South China Sea, and with Japan over another set of islets.
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"A review of history shows that countries that attempted to pursue development with force invariably failed," Xi said through a translator. "This is what history teaches us. China is dedicated to upholding peace. Peace is precious and needs to be protected."
The leaders of the US, Australia and Japan yesterday called for the peaceful settlement of the maritime disputes. The day before, Obama had warned of "disputes over territory -- remote islands and rocky shoals -- that threaten to spiral into confrontation".
Xi said he was open to dialogue.
"It is China's longstanding position to address peacefully its disputes with countries concerned and territorial sovereignty and maritime interests through dialogue and consultation," he said.
"China has settled land boundary issues with 12 out of its 14 neighbours through friendly consultation. And we will continue to work in this direction," added Xi.
Xi made the comments as he sealed a long-awaited free trade agreement with Australia -- a country that has long profited from China's voracious demand for its natural resources -- after nearly a decade of talks.
In his speech, the Chinese leader pointed to the opportunities his country's giant economy offered the world, and pledged to continue the "win/win strategy" of opening up and developing a modern economy.