TOYAKO, Japan, July 9 (Xinhua) -- An outreach session of the Group of Eight (G8) convened in the northern Japanese resort of Toyako Wednesday and Chinese President Hu Jintao was present at the meeting with other leaders.

The leaders discussed the pressing issues facing the world today, such as the world economy, climate change, and energy security.

The outreach session of the G8 summit was convened at the Windsor Hotel, and attended by leaders of the G8, which comprises of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, and leaders from five major developing nations-China, Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico.

Chinese President Hu Jintao delivers a very important speech.

Hu put up a four-point proposal on boosting the world economy to develop in a balanced, coordinated and sustainable way.

Hu said the combined population of the participated countries accounts for 60 percent of the world's total, and their collective economic power three forths of the world's total. These countries are duty-bound to work together to address the challenges and promote a steady growth of the world economy, and should start with fundamental issues such as systems and institutions in order to promote balanced, coordinated and sustainable development of the world economy.

To achieve the goal, Hu made a four-point proposal:

-- Build a sustainable world economic system. Counties should commit themselves to sustainable development, strengthen coordination of macro-economic policies and make concerted efforts to maintain the growth of the world economy.

The G8 should pay more attention to the voices and views from outside. The developed and developing countries should build a global development partnership between them featuring equality, mutual benefit and win-win progress, and work together to advance economic globalization in the direction of balanced development, shared benefits and win-win progress.

-- Build an inclusive and orderly international financial system. Countries should work together to give the developing countries greater say and representation in international financial institutions, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the international financial system.

The World Bank should make greater efforts to help the developing countries to adapt to economic globalization and achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The International Monetary Fund should step up its monitoring and early-warning of the international financial market, particularly the short-term capital flows and risks of financial innovation, and play a greater role in upholding international financial stability.

-- Build a fair and equitable international trade regime. Countries should jointly oppose trade protectionism, support efforts to strengthen the multilateral trading regime, and work for an early, comprehensive and balanced outcome of the Doha Round negotiations so as to achieve the goal of the development round. Countries should support the World Trade Organization in its "Aid for Trade" initiative.

-- Build a fair and effective global development system. Developed countries should take credible measures to honor their commitments by increasing assistance, opening markets, transferring more technologies to the developing countries and relieving their debts. The developing countries, on their part, should enhance capacity building.

The United Nations should continue to provide guidance and coordination and urge the international community to increase input in development, ensure resources for development and strengthen development institutions. The Monterrey Consensus, which was reached at the UN International Conference on Financing for Development in the Mexican city of Monterrey in 2002, should be implemented in real earnest and the MDGs should be achieved on schedule. It is of particular importance to provide Africa with more development resources and help Africa enhance its self-development capabilities.

Hu addresses concern on food issue.

Food prices hike has captured the attention of the entire international community, and food issue not only concerns the economy and people's well-being of each country but also bears on the development and security of the whole world, said Chinese President Hu.

On the cause of the prices hike, Hu said it is the combined "result of many factors."

To blame the development of developing countries or a certain policy of a certain country for the increase in world food demand does not tally with the fact, nor is it a constructive attitude to solve the problem, he said.

"The key is to embrace the spirit of common development, actively and effectively coordinate policies and actions and make concerted efforts to safeguard world food security," he suggested.

He said the pressing task now is "to scale up assistance, support the United Nations in playing its coordinating role, work to stabilize food prices and help the developing countries to tide over the difficulties as quickly as possible."

At the same time, the international community should give priority to developing agriculture and formulate a long-term international food cooperation strategy, he said.

The Chinese leader made a four-point suggestion on solving the food crisis:

--Attach importance to food production. All countries should recognize the fundamental importance of grain production from a strategic perspective, raise grain production through science and technology and increase grain reserves. Major grain producing countries should make more efforts. The developing countries should keep improving their production capacities and the developed countries should provide necessary financial and technical support.

-- Improve the trading environment. It is necessary to create a favorable international trading environment and establish a fair and equitable international trade order for agricultural products. All countries, the developed countries in particular, should display greater sincerity in the Doha agricultural negotiations, remove trade barriers, demonstrate flexibility over such issues as the reduction of agricultural subsidies, give full consideration to the special concerns of the developing members, and ensure duty-free and quota-free market access treatment to the least developed countries.

-- Enhance macro coordination. Governments of all countries should strengthen oversight of their agricultural product markets, facilitate policy coordination, contain excessive speculations and work to stabilize food prices. It is important to set up a UN-led international cooperation mechanism and work to establish a global food security safeguard system that integrate early warning, monitoring and supervision, macro regulation and emergency relief.

-- Create favorable conditions. All countries should recognize the cross-sector nature of the food issue and adopt a multi-pronged approach to address the issue by taking measures in finance, trade, assistance, the environment, intellectual property rights, technology transfer and other areas, thus creating a favorable environment for safeguarding food security. It is necessary to take into full account the issue of food security in tackling the challenges in energy, climate change and other fields. It is ill-advised to do one thing at the expense of the other.

Hu said China attaches great importance to agriculture and especially the food issue, which pursues a food security policy of relying on domestic supply, ensuring basic self-sufficiency and striking a balance through appropriate import and export.

China feeds about 20 percent of the world's population with around 9 percent of the world's arable land, which is a major contribution to global food security, said the president.

For nearly ten years, China has met over 95 percent of its food demand on its own and exported a net amount of 8 million tons of staple grains annually such as wheat, rice and corn, and China's current average agricultural tariff is only a quarter of the world's average, Hu said.

China takes an active part in international cooperation in the field of food and agriculture and provides foreign assistance according to its ability, he said.

The Chinese head of state went on to say that since 2003, China has provided nearly 300,000 tons of food assistance, built 14 integrated agricultural projects, established more than 20 demonstration centers of agricultural technologies overseas, trained over 4,000 agriculture-related managerial and technical staff for other developing countries.

China is ready to share more experience of agricultural development with other developing countries within the framework of South-South cooperation and provide various kinds of assistance in its power, said Hu.

Hu said Millennium Development Goals should be achieved in comprehensive, balanced way

The international community should take the mid-term review of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a good opportunity to further demonstrate political will and mobilize all resources, make the half-way point a turning point and promote comprehensive and balanced progress in global efforts to achieve the MDGs, Hu said.

This year is the year for a mid-term review of the MDGs, and progress has been made globally toward attaining them, Hu said while addressing an outreach session of the Group of Eight (G8) in the northern Japanese resort.

The degree of progress, however, varies in different fields and different regions, said the Chinese president, noting African countries, in particular, still face severe challenges in many fields.

He said the present situation in the world economy has made the attainment of the MDGs even more complex, and it is important to do the following to achieve the MDGs.

--Establish a true partnership for development. The developing countries bear the primary responsibilities for their own development, but the developed countries should also provide necessary assistance. The international community should create an enabling external environment for developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve development.

--Develop a fair framework of progress review. It is necessary to take a comprehensive look at the progress made as well as challenges faced by various countries in achieving the MDGs and make a serious review of the delivery of the committed international development assistance.

--Provide strong financial and technical support. The developed countries should honor their commitments in official development assistance, rise above short-term business interests and reduce the monopoly of technology. Meanwhile, the developing countries should intensify research and development of technology in order to enhance their own economic competitiveness.

--Increase international assistance to Africa. In view of Africa's special needs, the international community should provide Africa with more financial and technological support, and at the same time respect the rights of African countries to make their own decisions, with assistance focused on enhancing their self-development capabilities.

Hu also said China has, in light of its own national conditions, set the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, adhered to a Scientific Outlook on Development which puts people first and aims to achieve comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development, and firmly embarked on a path of sustainable development that features expanded production, a better livelihood and sound ecological and environmental conditions, which is consistent with the MDGs.

China has met the MDG poverty target ahead of schedule, he said, noting that, within the framework of South-South cooperation, China has provided free assistance, interest-free loans and concession loans to nearly 160 developing countries to help them achieve the MDGs.

Hu thanks world support for China's quake-relief efforts

Hu expressed sincere thanks to those governments and peoples that extended China sympathy and sincere help in the wake of the May 12 Wenchuan devastating earthquake. "The Chinese people have the determination and confidence to overcome this major disaster and help people in the quake areas rebuild their beautiful homeland at an early date," the president said.

Later in the day, President Hu participated in the Major Economies Meeting on energy security and climate change. Japan has invited Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa for the meeting with leaders of G8 members.

On the sidelines of the G8 outreach session, President Hu met other leaders attending the G8 meeting to exchange views on bilateral ties and the world issues of mutual concern.