President Hu Jintao said in Berlin Thursday that China will adhere to the path of peaceful development characterized by peace, opening up and cooperation.

"China's development will be achieved through striving for a peaceful international environment and its development will promote world peace in return," Hu said at a banquet hosted by the Asian-Pacific Committee of the German Business.

"China will steadfastly adhere to the road of peaceful development," Hu said.

He said China will stick to its basic policy of reform and opening up and will honor its commitments to the World Trade Organization made upon the entry into the global trading body.

China will continue to improve its foreign-related economic structures, strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights, foster a stable and transparent foreign-related economic management system, create a fair and foreseeable legal environment, raise the level of freedom and convenience for trade and investment so as to create a better environment for investment, he said.

China will stick to the policies of harmonious development at home and peaceful development internationally, which is conducive to building a harmonious world with everlasting peace and common prosperity, he said.

On China's relations with the EU, he said that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides.

The development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU conforms to the fundamental interests of both sides, he noted.

The trade and economic cooperation between China, the world's largest developing country, and the EU, the world's largest bloc of developed countries, conducted on the basis of equality and mutual benefit is conducive to the healthy development of economic globalization as well as the multi-polarization of the world, Hu noted.

China is ready to develop China-EU relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit and build an even closer partnership.

Germany, the largest economy in the EU and an important driving force for European integration, has over the years offered vigorous support and commitments to closer China-EU cooperation and has thus made important contributions to the development of China-EU relations.

Hu hoped that Germany would continue to play its positive role within the EU and make new contributions to the all-round development of China-EU ties.

Hu arrived in Berlin Thursday for a three-day state visit to Germany.

(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2005)