China's co-operation with the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized
nations will help promote international stability and economic
development, experts said.
As the world's largest developing country, China has established
close relations with G8 members, many of which are major trade
partners.
Shen Jiru, a researcher with the Institute of World Economics
and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said
China's increasing contact with the group over the past few years
has helped enhance mutual understanding and eased contradictions
and disputes.
"The dialogue between China and the G8 can help co-ordinate
their stance on some key political and economic issues in the
world," Shen told China Daily.
"Given China's growing economic and political clout, its
co-operation with the G8 will play a positive role in promoting
international stability and economic growth."
The researcher's comments came as President Hu Jintao visits St. Petersburg for the meeting
between developing countries and the G8 nations on the sidelines of
the group's annual summit.
China is not a member of the G8, which includes the United
States, Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and
Russia.
China does however attach importance to the role of the G8 in
international affairs and is willing to conduct dialogue with the
group on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Thursday.
She said China holds that developed and developing countries
should become equal partners and make joint efforts to deal with
global challenges.
"From a long-term perspective, strengthening co-operation
between China and the G8 not only accords with each other's
interests, but also benefits world peace and stability," Jiang told
a press briefing on Thursday.
With China's growing political and economic power, there have
been emerging arguments that China, now the world's fourth-largest
economy, should be admitted to the G8.
Shen, however, said there is little chance of China joining the
G8 soon.
First of all, it remains uncertain whether the G8 members can
reach a consensus on the issue, as some of them still oppose the
inclusion of China.
"What's more important, it hinges on whether the G8 can abandon
its long-held cold-war mentality, take new members on as equal
partners and drop its ideological discrimination against new
members," Shen said.
"The group should not be used as an instrument to interfere with
the internal affairs of new members."
He was apparently referring to some G8 members' finger-pointing
at democracy and human rights issues in other countries, as well as
their taste for unilateral action.
The researcher went on to stress that not being a G8 member does
not have any substantial impact on China's role in international
affairs.
(China Daily July 17, 2006)
