Since the 2010 annual plenary sessions of China's National People's Congress began last week, overseas media has been covering a string of hot topics concerning politics, economy and democracy, reflecting China's ever enlarging global influence.

Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said it's quite a surprise that the world's major media have kept their eyes on China's ongoing parliamentary sessions.

With the global economy facing a 2.2 percent contraction in 2009, China's GDP increased by 8.7 percent, a rather unique performance, it said.

It also pointed out China's rich-poor gap has been widening during its 30 years of rapid economic growth. The situation could be very dangerous to every economy that is facing it, especially such a populous country as China.

That's why Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said his government would be committed to delivering a rational income distribution, it added.

South Korea's Hankyoreh said in an article that a hot debate over changing China's economic development mode and reforming income distribution mechanism has been observed.

After experiencing some 30 years of economic uprising, China has to adapt itself to the tremendous differences occurring in markets and technology by changing its economic growth pattern and optimizing the structure, it said.

Although the Chinese people, who have been benefited from the opening-up and reform policy, are living much bettered lives, the expanding gap between the rich and poor much be contained, it added.

The article described those two tasks as quite difficult. It also sees the Chinese government as very determined for without their settlement, the country's economic advancement would not be sustained.

Commenting on China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's press conference remarks, Nouvelles d'Europe, one of France's foremost Chinese dailies, said nations worldwide are refueling to gaining a upper hand in the new round of competition as the world economy starts to recover.

China would be always in the limelight no matter how it chooses to act, it added.

The Russian daily Independence also hailed the development of relations with China.

In an article "Beijing cements ties with Moscow", the newspaper cited Yang's remarks at the press conference that the Sino-Russia strategic partnership of coordination is mature and full of vigor and is a model of relations between big powers.