Xi Jinping (C front), general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, poses for a group picture with foreign experts working in China during a meeting in Beijing, capital of China, December 5, 2012. It is Xi's first meeting with foreign guests since he was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Photo: Xinhua" src="http://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2011/341e190f-bbc7-4a2e-88fe-5b84f174eccc.jpeg">

Xi Jinping (C front), general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, poses for a group picture with foreign experts working in China during a meeting in Beijing, capital of China, December 5, 2012. It is Xi's first meeting with foreign guests since he was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Photo: Xinhua

 

Xi Jinping (C back), general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, communicates with foreign experts working in China during a meeting in Beijing, capital of China, December 5, 2012. It is Xi's first meeting with foreign guests since he was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Photo: Xinhua

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, called for international cooperation to address global issues in Beijing Wednesday as he met with a number of foreign experts.

Xi called for more cooperation between China and other countries, saying the international community is increasingly becoming a community of common destiny, as interconnection and interdependence among countries are constantly deepening.

Some 20 foreign experts from 16 countries, who work in China in different fields, shared thoughts on China's economic and social development and offered suggestions for the country's future modernization.

Experts exchanged ideas with Xi on issues such as China's education, economy, agriculture and environmental protection.

Pedro Nueno, president of the Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School, said at the meeting that he would like to see the Chinese government give more encouragement in innovation among enterprises and enhance the development of venture capital.

Faced with the complex situation in the world economy and global issues, no country can go it alone or outshine others, Xi said, noting that today's world is not tranquil, while the theme of this era is still peace and development.

The international community should strive to establish a more equal and balanced global development partnership, he said.

During the meeting, Xi also reiterated China's "unswerving" policy of opening-up.

However, China's development will never be a challenge or a threat to any other country or the world at large, Xi said.

Edwin Maher, a New Zealand news anchor at CCTV and winner of the governmental Friendship Award, told the Global Times on Wednesday he was glad to see that China's new leadership is willing to communicate with foreign experts to seek advice on its future development and deepen cooperation with the international community.

"I'm very interested in the meeting on Tuesday, held by the political bureau, that one of the new leadership's key points is that media must not report on official events unless there's real news value," said Maher.

He added that it is a very big step, since many reports that salute political leaders do not interest a lot of people but are put in higher positions than newsworthy pieces in newspapers or websites.

"Me and my foreign friends who work in the media are looking forward to seeing it actually happen," he said, noting that it's important for the Chinese media to reach a global audience.

Xinhua contributed to this story