President Hu Jintao's participation at the G8 summit and
his subsequent state visit to Sweden were successful and led to
productive dialogue, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said yesterday.
Briefing Chinese media, Yang said these major diplomatic events
enabled Hu to clarify China's standpoint on many issues such as
climate change.?To this end, he exchanged views with relevant
world leaders?on establishing a series of concrete
measures.?
At the meeting of the "outreach five" (China, India, Brazil,
Mexico and South Africa) at the G8 summit, Hu outlined a strategy
of cooperation between southern nations to help better dialogue and
unity among developing countries, said Yang.
Developing countries should take on strategies and policies that
will boost economic development whilst paying attention to
individual national circumstances. For its part, the industrialized
world should ramp up debt cancellation, market opening and
technology transfers to help the rise of poorer nations.
The North-South divide needs to urgently be reduced and the goal
of sustainable development should be balanced on three principles:
economic growth, social progress and environmental protection.
Hu's consistent outlining of China's position on climate change
has enabled the international community to better comprehend the
country's strategy toward sustainable development. Namely, although
climate change is an environmental issue at heart, it also relates
to sustainable development in that it may severely impair a
nation's development.
Urging all countries to adhere to the principle of "common but
differentiated responsibilities" in accordance with the UN
convention on climate change, he said China has strengthened its
law-making and enforcement efforts to tackle climate change.
During the outreach session, Hu had in-depth talks with 12
foreign leaders on a broad range of international issues. Consensus
was reached to broaden political dialogue, strengthen mutually
beneficial economic cooperation, ramp up cultural exchanges and
engage in deeper coordination on global affairs.
His visit to Sweden, fulfilled in a spirit of friendship, was
the first by a Chinese head of state since the two countries
established diplomatic ties 57 years ago.
(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2007)