Visiting top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo elaborated on China's development in Washington on Thursday by emphasizing the importance of development to China, and the importance of China's development to the world.

"First, development is the key to China's success in overcoming difficulties," Wu said in a speech delivered at a dinner hosted by American friendly organizations, including the US Chamber of Commerce, the US-China Business Council and the National Committee on US-China Relations.

Over the past 30 years, China has registered sustained and rapid economic development and made all-round progress in various undertakings and China's gross domestic product has grown at an average annual rate of 9.8 percent, said Wu, who is chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress.

The top legislator said the significance of development to China is well exemplified by the way China responded to the massive quake that hit southwestern China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008.

"Thanks to out institutional strength in pooling resources for big undertakings, thanks to our development achievements through reform and opening up over the past 30 years and with the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation, we mobilized people of the whole country and immediately went in for an unprecedented search and rescue operation," he said.

"In just over one year, over 460 billion yuan (67.4 billion US dollars) has been invested in rehabilitation and reconstruction," he added.

Had it not been for the achievements in China's development through 30 years of reform and opening up, the consequences of such a massive natural disaster for China would have been truly unthinkable, he said.

Wu noted that China's development is a contribution to the world, which is most evident in three aspects.

One aspect is that China's development is inextricably linked to the common interests of humanity, he said.

"China's success in running its own affairs and ensuring a better life for the 1.3 billion people is, in itself, a historic contribution to the development and well-being of mankind," Wu said.

Another aspect is that China's development has presented development opportunities to all other countries and people throughout the world have benefited from it, he said.

Still another is that China's development has made stronger the forces for world peace and common development, he added.

Wu said development remains China's top priority.

"Despite China's tremendous economic and social achievements in the course of 30 years' reform and opening up, we are soberly aware of the fact that China is the world's largest developing country with a huge population, weak economic foundation and development imbalances between urban and rural areas, among different regions, and between economic and social realms," he said.

China's modernization still has a long way to go and requires the relentless endeavor of several, a dozen or even dozens of generations, he said, adding China's goal is to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects by 2020.

"We will always put development on the top of our agenda, implement in real earnest the Scientific Outlook on Development, continue to free our minds, stay committed to reform and opening up, advance scientific development and promote social harmony," Wu said.

Though China may encounter all sorts of difficulties and challenges on its way forward, its development has become an irresistible trend that goes along with the will of the people, he said, adding "we have every confidence in our development prospects."

Wu is on a week-long official goodwill visit to the United States, the final stop of his three-nation tour to the Americas, which also took him to Cuba and the Bahamas.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2009)