China's President Xi Jinping announced on Monday his country's commitment to push for better representation for developing nations, in light of its status as one of the world's leading economies.

The announcement comes a day before the BRICS summit in Brazil is set to begin where member countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will establish a new development bank (NDB) based in Shanghai, which is intended to provide financing to developing countries.

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In an interview with a South American media, Xi said China will dedicate itself to perfecting the system of governance of the international system.

"[China will] proactively push for expanding the representation and right to speak for developing countries in international affairs," Xi said during the interview.

The announcement was met with skepticism, however, most notably from fellow BRICS member India, and among the group which worried that Beijing could monopolize the NDB for its own purposes.

Xi brushed off the concerns, saying that Beijing was committed to the development of peace and had no intentions of using force to exert its power.

He said the Chinese are a people of peace, and they have no genes for invasion or world domination and that it does not acknowledge the "might makes right" logic

He added that China will pursue peaceful development and proactively seek an international environment that is peaceful for its own development. Xi said that China will use its own development to promote world peace.

China's growing assertiveness in claiming sovereignty over disputed islands in the South and East China Seas have resulted in tense relations between opposing neighbor countries and has caught the attention of the U.S.

BRICS' NDB is intended to compete with Western global banks World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

After the BRICS summit in Brazil, Xi's delegation will head to Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina for trade talks.

TagsRussia, South Africa, BRICS, BRICS summit, emerging world powers, world leaders