Chinese President Jiang Zemin met a group of overseas and Chinese delegates to the on-going International Forum on China and the World in the 21st Century in Beijing on September 10.

Jiang first welcomed the delegates from overseas, saying that many of them are old friends of China who have made important contributions to the friendly cooperative relations between China and their countries.

He said that the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs has invited many noted overseas political figures, experts and scholars and entrepreneurs to participate in the Forum, which will play an important role in promoting understanding and cooperation. He wished the Forum a great success.

Jiang said that, generally speaking, the international situation is easing up, and multipolarization and economic globalization are the unavoidable tendencies in the world's development. Promoting peace and seeking development are the common wishes of all the peoples in the world, and they are also great tasks for the Chinese people in the new century.

He said China upholds the independent foreign policy of peace and carries out friendly exchanges with all countries on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence. China advocates the dealing of State-to-State relations in accordance with the aims and principles of the United Nations' Charter and the universally-recognized principles governing international relations.

Jiang said that respect should be given to the diversity of civilizations of different countries, and to the history, culture, social systems and development models of different countries.

Kohl expressed thanks on behalf of the overseas delegates for President Jiang's meeting.

The overseas delegates present at the meeting included former German Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl; former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu; former Australian Prime Ministers Hawke and Keating; former EU Chairman Jacques Santer; Vice Chairman of the Russian Duma Vladimir Lukin; former UN Secretary-General Butros Butros Ghali; former British Deputy Prime Minister Heseltine; and former National Security Advisor to the US President Brzezinski. Some Chinese officials and delegates were also present at the meeting.

( Xinhua News Agency 09/11/2001)