Chinese President Hu Jintao met with leaders from India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico in Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido, northern Japan on Tuesday afternoon, or July 8th for an exchange of views on the enhancement of South-South cooperation, the promotion of North/South dialogues and the advancement of common development and on other issues of common concern.
These leaders are Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, South African President Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki and Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who have been invited to attend an outreach (or dialogue) session of the Group of Eight (G8) summit.
In a speech delivered at the group meeting, President Hu Jintao, first of all, expressed heartfelt thanks on behalf of the Chinese government and people to the governments and people of the four countries for their strong support for and sincere assistance to China's rescue and relief endeavors as well as the sympathy and cordial regards conveyed to the Chinese people following a devastating earthquake that jolted China's Sichuan province on May 12. The Chinese government and people, he said, have both the resolve and confidence of overcoming the exceedingly grave quake disaster and helping people in the quake areas rebuild their homes as soon as possible with a kind attention and support of the international community.
President Hu enunciated his views on the present global situation in his speech. With regard to the daily-increasing influences and role the developing countries have been playing in global affairs, he said developing countries constitute an important force in upholding the world peace and promoting common development.
Recognizing these five nations as vital, important developing countries, he said, the strengthening of coordination and cooperation among them is conducive not only to the development of their respective countries and but also to the enhancement of South-South cooperation, the promotion of North-South dialogue and a forward push to the noble cause of humanity for peace and development.
The present international situation is complex and volatile with a marked rise in the number uncertainties, and developing countries are facing plenty of problems, noted the leaders of India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico in their addresses. Soaring food prices have produced a great impact on the economies of all nations and particularly the needy people in developing countries and result in an increase in the population of those in need, the leaders of the five developing countries acknowledged. The cause for food prices hike is complicated and it cannot be attributed to the development of developing countries.
Meanwhile, these leaders urged the international community and global agencies to increase their participation to curb international speculations and go all out to stem inflation on the global scale. They also appeal for advancing South-South dialogue and promoting North-South dialogue, and enhancing the global management, so as to enable all nations worldwide and developing countries in particular to benefit from globalization. Moreover, they suggested the five countries step up their coordination to respond to challenges together.
Humanity is now at a crossroads in history, notes a joint political declaration issued at the end of the group meeting. With a growing interdependence among nations, there is a need to take comprehensive and coordinated modes to jointly respond to global challenges, it says. We ensure the sustainability of the national and global development and prosperity, and this poses a historical challenge for this generation. To achieve this basic objective, the declaration adds, the countries concerned must contribute to achieving via coordination and cooperation a fair progress with due importance to be attached to the environment and to assuming the shared responsibilities by the way of international cooperation.
By People's Daily Online and its authors are Wu Qimin and Yu Qing reporting from Sapporo, Japan
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