Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday called on developing countries to strengthen dialogue, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and improve trade and investment to speed up their development.

Addressing the Mexican Senate, Hu said today's world is undergoing drastic and complicated changes, and peace and development remain the main trends of the times.

On the one hand, with the increasing development of multi-polarization and economic globalization, as well as the rapid development of technology, all the countries are promised unprecedented development opportunities, he said.

But on the other hand, there are still many uncertain and unstable factors in the world, which pose strong challenges to the countries in the world, especially the developing ones, he added.

These factors include regional conflicts and wars, the widening gap between the North and the South, and traditional and non-traditional security issues, such as trade barriers, financial risks, the deterioration of the environment, natural disasters and highly infectious diseases, he explained.

The Chinese president said the realization of a bright future for all the human race needs solidarity and further cooperation among all countries.

Peace, development and cooperation are the common wishes of all peoples, and common development through solidarity, cooperation and reciprocity is the aspiration of the peoples of developing countries, Hu said.

In recent years, he noted, the developing countries have been continuously strengthening cooperation and their overall economic power has obviously been increased.

As an important political and economic force, the Chinese president said, developing countries have been playing an increasingly important role in regional and international affairs, especially in pushing forward the establishment of fair and reasonable new international political and economic orders.

However, generally speaking, developing countries, who are burdened with arduous tasks of development, remain in a rather unfavorable position in face of fierce international economic and technological competitions, Hu said.

Therefore, developing countries must strengthen cooperation and explore common grounds among themselves to boost their development, he pointed out.

They should tap the potential and expand the channel of cooperation, enlarge the areas and innovate the modes of cooperation, expand trade and investment on the basis of equality and reciprocity, said the Chinese president.

He also called on developing countries to strengthen consultation and coordination, make concerted efforts and participate in the formulation of international trade and financial regulations, and enable globalization to advance in a balanced, universally-beneficial and win-win direction.

China always hopes that the international community will take pragmatic measures to help developing countries deal with the difficulties emerging in the process of development and enhance their capacity for independent and sustainable development, President Hu said.

He urged the international community to show greater determination and set boosting development, especially that of developing countries, as an important mission.

Only with the development of both developed and developing countries, can peace, stability and prosperity be truly realized in the world, he said.

President Hu arrived in Mexico from Canada on Sunday for a three-day visit.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2005)