BERLIN: President Hu Jintao urged developing countries yesterday to work together to meet the challenges of globalization and to safeguard their shared interests, and appealed to the developed nations to take the lead in cutting carbon emissions.

Speaking at a multilateral meeting of leaders of China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa in Berlin, Hu said developing countries are still in a disadvantageous position in the course of world development. "Seeking development remains a long-term goal" for them.

The leaders of the five developing nations have been invited by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend the dialogue meeting with their counterparts from the world's "rich club" - the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia - at the G8 summit in Germany's Baltic resort of Heiligendamm. Germany assumes the presidency of the annual summit this year.

Hu told the leaders of the four countries: "We have the responsibility to cooperate with each other to jointly cope with the risks of globalization, uphold (our) common interests, create favorable conditions for our development and promote coordinated global development."

The five countries' population adds up to 42 percent of the world's total, and their importance in the global economy has been increasing by the day.

Climate change is high on the G8 summit agenda, with Merkel hoping it would pave the way for an extension of the UN-sponsored Kyoto Protocol on global warming by agreeing on concrete steps to cut greenhouse gas emission. But the US and some developing countries are opposed to mandatory caps.

"Considering their historical responsibility and current capability, developed countries should take the lead in reducing carbon emission and help developing countries ease and adapt to climate change," Hu said.

Today he is scheduled to attend a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of G8 countries, including the presidents of the US, France and Russia, George W. Bush, Nicolas Sarkozy and Vladimir Putin, as well as Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

(China Daily 06/08/2007 page2)