Asian nations need not fear China's growing military and economic power because it has no tradition of foreign conquest and its burgeoning market offers vast opportunities, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Opening the seventh World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention, the veteran premier said China played a key role in balancing other powerful nations.

"We are not afraid of China becoming a big military power and gobbling us up because this is not the tradition of China," he told some 3,000 businessmen from over 20 countries.