Special Report: President Hu attends outreach session of G8 Summit

Chinese President Hu Jintao (2nd R) poses for a group photo with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2nd L), Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (1st L), Mexican President Felipe Calderon (C) and South African President Thabo Mbeki ahead of their meeting in Berlin, capital of Germany, June 7, 2007. (Xinhua/Liu Jiansheng) Photo Gallery>>>

    BERLIN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Thursday that developing countries should make concerted efforts to meet challenges brought by economic globalization.

    Hu made the remarks in a speech at the collective meeting of leaders of developing countries, a sideline event of the Group of Eight (G8) summit, which groups China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.

    The world economy has seen a new round of growth, said the president.

    "Developing countries are exploring development paths compatible to their national conditions, seizing opportunities to accelerate development and enjoying a good momentum for growth," he said.

    "Developing countries have become an important force in maintaining world peace and promoting common development," he said.

    However, Hu said, developing countries "are still in a disadvantageous position in the course of world development," and economic globalization has made these countries confront "mounting challenges."

    The population of China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico accounts for 42 percent of the world's total, Hu said, adding that the five major developing countries have an increasingly important place in global economy and trade.

    He put forward a three-point proposal on safeguarding developing countries' common interests, creating favorable development conditions and boosting coordinated development of the world:

    -- Enhance coordination and expand space for development;

    "We should continue to work for the establishment of a sound international economic order and foster an enabling financial, trade and energy environment," he said.

    Hu said developing countries should urge the United Nations to increase input for development and strive to increase their say and representation of developing countries in international economy.

    "We should urge developed countries to meet their commitments and provide more assistance for developing countries, write off or reduce their debts and increase investment in and technology transfer to them," he said.

    -- Effectively upgrade cooperation, especially in such areas as trade, investment, personnel training, infrastructure, culture, education and health;

    New platforms, such as the Summit of South American-Arab Countries, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, have also boosted South-South cooperation, Hu said.

    "We should seize this favorable opportunity, further tap potentials, expand and enrich our cooperation and contribute to the common development of developing countries," he said.

    -- Maintain and improve the meeting mechanism

    The leaders of the five countries have held several meetings, and ministers from the five also met during the UN General Assembly last year, Hu said.

    "We need to make good preparations for these meetings and take follow-up steps afterwards, maintain close consultations, share experiences and expand common ground to achieve concrete progress," he said.

    Hu said China supports continued dialogue between developing and developed countries.

    "We should increase the say of developing countries in the format, agenda and outcome of the dialogue and work to establish anew global partnership for development based on equality, mutual benefit and a win-win model," he said.

    Hu, who arrived in Berlin on Wednesday, is scheduled to fly to Heiligendamm in northern Germany, the venue of this year's G8 summit, on Friday.

    Since 2003, when the world's eight most industrialized countries convened annually, the host country usually has held an "outreach session" between the eight and five major developing countries, referred as 8 plus 5 meeting. The collective meeting is regarded as the prelude of the 8 plus 5 dialogue.

     After his tour in Germany, Hu will pay a state visit to Sweden.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (Front) attends a group meeting with leaders of Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa in Berlin, capital of Germany, June 7, 2007. (Xinhua/Liu Jiansheng) Photo Gallery>>>