WASHINGTON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday called for strengthened dialogue between different civilizations to maintain the diversity of the world and advance human civilization.

    "We are living in an era full of opportunities and challenges,"said President Hu at a dinner here hosted by 12 friendly organizations in the United States.

    The world "is undergoing profound changes, so are the mode of production and way of life of mankind as well as the relationship between people, between countries and between man and nature," he said.

    "Facing a world in profound change and growing challenges, China holds that the international community should work together to promote progress in the international society," Hu said.

    Stressing the necessity to respect the will of the people in all countries, the Chinese president said democracy and the rule of law should be advocated in international relations, and the current international system and order should be gradually reformed and improved to make it just and equitable.

    A new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation should be advanced, and disputes should be settled through dialogue and negotiations, he said, adding that countries should make concerted efforts to safeguard world peace and security.

    Hu laid emphasis on development, saying that the international community should make development a priority and support developing countries in speeding up their development.

    He also said the international trade and financial system should be reformed and improved to ensure that economic globalization will lead to common prosperity.

    Hu said his current visit to the U.S. was aimed at "boosting dialogue, increasing common understanding, enhancing mutual trust, deepening cooperation and promoting the all-round growth of the constructive and cooperative China-U.S. relationship in the 21st century."

    He said he had fruitful talks with President George W. Bush, met with representatives of the American public and reached important common understanding.

    "What has impressed me most is that both China and the United States share a strong desire to further develop our bilateral relationship and that both sides appreciate the fact that the China-U.S. relations have gone far beyond bilateral context and become increasingly global in importance," Hu said.

    The Chinese president arrived in Washington Wednesday evening from Seattle.

    The United States is the first leg of his five-nation tour, which will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya. Enditem