Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao addresses the general debate of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States, Sept. 23, 2010. [Shen Hong/Xinhua]

China remains a developing country and will stick to the path of peaceful development for the common good of mankind, Premier Wen Jiabao said in New York Thursday.

"This is the real China," he said in a speech titled "Getting to Know the Real China" before world leaders and delegates at the annual general debate of the UN General Assembly.

CHINA REMAINS A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

While taking pride from the rapid growth and remarkable achievements over the past 30 years, "we are clear-headed about our place and role in today's world," Wen said.

Although China's gross domestic product is the third largest in the world, the per capita figure is only one tenth of that of developed countries, he noted.

China is a leading producer of many important products, but remains at the lower end of the global industrial chain; China is a big trading nation, but its exports are low in technology content and in added value, Wen said.

China's coastal areas and some of the big and medium-sized cities thrive in modernization, but many places in the central and western regions and the vast rural areas are still rather backward, he said, noting that 150 million people in China are still living below the poverty line set by the United Nations.

In addition, more efforts are needed before China establishes full-fledged social security and legal systems and eradicate inequity, corruption and other social ills, Wen said.

"Taken as a whole, China is still in the primary stage of socialism and remains a developing country," he concluded, adding that the country's further development faces constraints of energy, resources and the environment.

"These are our basic national conditions. This is the real China," Wen said.