Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao said in Seattle on Wednesday that China will "unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development".

Hu made the remarks in a speech to experts and scholars from China and the US who gathered in the port city for a seminar on China's peaceful development and the future of Sino-US relations.

A true knowledge of China's option for peaceful development is vital for a profound understanding of the orientation of China's future development, a firm hold on Sino-US common strategic interests, and efforts to push for the healthy and steady development of Sino-US relations, he said.

Hu added that China has adopted the path of peaceful development in line with its national conditions, history and cultural heritage, as well as the trend of the times.

"Upholding the banner of peace, development and cooperation, we will firmly adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace, follow the path of peaceful development, and carry out the mutually beneficial and win-win strategy of opening-up to the rest of the world," he said.

China not only seeks a peaceful international environment for its development, but also aims to promote world peace through its development, he noted.

A peacefully developing country can be a major force to boost peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. China's peaceful development will create a broader space for cooperation between China and the US, and offer a historic opportunity for the development of Sino-US ties.

Under the current international situation, the importance of Sino-US relations has increased, not diminished; their common strategic interests have expanded, not shrunk, and the space for bilateral cooperation has broadened, not narrowed, the Chinese president said.

With joint efforts, the development of Sino-US ties has maintained a stable momentum over the years, benefiting not only both countries and their people, but also boosting peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole.

Hu said experts and scholars from both countries have a big role to play in enhancing bilateral ties. He hoped that they would make continued contributions to the development of the Sino-US constructive relations of cooperation.

Hu arrived here earlier on Tuesday for his first state visit to the US, with Seattle being the first stop of his four-day trip.

The US is also the first leg of his five-nation tour, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.

Hu's meeting with Gates

Also in Seattle, China will boost overseas companies' confidence in the country's efforts to protect intellectual property rights (IPR), Hu said in a meeting with Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Tuesday.

"The talks between Hu and Gates were not to guarantee that China would not have any problems with pirated software in the future," Wang Ziqiang, spokesman for the State Copyright Bureau, told a press conference.

"These talks were a chance for the Chinese government to show its commitment to protecting IPR and cracking down on IPR violations."

Hu's meeting with Gates was to instill confidence in overseas investors and companies in China's determination to crack down on intellectual property violations and to believe that piracy can be controlled with the consistent efforts of the Chinese government, Wang said.

China recently issued regulations to the effect that computers manufactured in China must be pre-installed with legitimate operating systems. The same applies to imported computers sold in China.

"We are right now working to promote the use of legitimate software in enterprises, especially in state-owned enterprises where government has more control," said Zhang Qin, deputy commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2006)