Chinese President Hu Jintao called on the world's media to respect one another during his address at the opening ceremony of the World Media Summit on Friday.

The President said the Chinese government will safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news media. He pledged to continue to facilitate foreign media coverage in China in accordance with the law.

He also urged the global media to uphold its social responsibility to promote truthful and objective communication of information.

About 300 representatives from more than 170 media outlets from around the world attended the three-day summit in Beijing.