Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday urged global media to promote world peace and development, and to contribute to building a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity.

Hu made the remarks while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Media Summit, which gathered about 300 representatives from more than 170 media outlets from around the world.

"The media should use their distinctive assets and advantages to convey the messages of peace, development, cooperation, mutual benefit and tolerance," he said.

"All media organizations should be dedicated to the lofty cause of pushing forward peace and development," he said.

He said the world's media should promote all countries to respect each other and consult with each other on an equal footing politically, to cooperate with complementary advantages economically, to learn from each other and seek common grounds while accepting differences in cultural exchanges, to increase mutual trust and cooperation in maintaining security, and to help each other for advancement in environmental protection, so as to jointly create a better future for mankind.

Against the backdrop of global financial crisis, Hu said, the world's media should comprehensively cover the measures taken and the achievements as all countries -- in the same boat in times of trouble -- have strengthened cooperation and worked together to overcome difficulties.

"This is the way the media can contribute to the recovery and healthy and stable development of the world economy," he said.