China stages forum to seek int'l cooperation on global challenges

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, addresses during the opening ceremony of the 21st Century Forum in Beijing, capital of China, on Sept. 7, 2010. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
More than 800 political leaders, dignitaries and scholars from China and abroad gathered in Beijing Tuesday for a forum to tackle global challenges.

Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a congratulatory letter to the 21st Century Forum, hailing its opening and welcoming the attendance of delegates from other countries.

Cooperation and common prosperity are the shared aspirations of people across the world and the correct way for the international community to deal with various challenges and to promote peace and development, Hu said in the letter.

"China will hold high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, and unswervingly take the path of peaceful development," Hu said.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body, delivered a key-note speech at the forum.

As the world undergoes profound development, transformation and adjustment, it will seek a political and economic order of justice and reason, Jia said.

Jia stressed China remains the world's largest developing country.

He said China has, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, taken a development path fitting to its national conditions, particularly since the start of the reform and opening up initiatives in late 1970s.

The foreign attendees of the forum included former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former European Commission President Romano Prodi, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former Russian Prime Minister Evgeni Primakov, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

With the theme of "new era, new challenge, new vision -- building a future for all," the two-day forum will also include six panel sessions.

The 21st Century Forum, initiated by the CPPCC, convened its first conference in 1996. The purpose of the forum is to serve as a platform for leaders, scholars and experts from China and other countries to explore global trends and crucial issues of common interest to mankind in the 21st century.


The 21st Century Forum opens in Beijing, capital of China, on Sept. 7, 2010. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
Source:Xinhua