World economy slowly overcoming crisis-Hu Jintao

ST.PETERSBURG , June 17 (Itar-Tass) - The world economy is still
overcoming the crisis rather slowly, Chinese President Hu Jintao said,
addressing the International Economic Forum here on Friday. "The world is
living through radical changes, but it is still overcoming the crisis
rather slowly, although it began over two years ago," he said.
According to Hu Jintao, "new hotbeds of tension are emerging,
protectionism is still alive, and the world is coming up against new
global challenges, specifically the problems of food security and ecology."
Today, "in conditions of multi-polar world, the countries are
interconnected economically more than ever before." Hu Jintao believes
that since the crisis hit mostly the financial system, it is necessary, in
the first place, "to strengthen global economic cooperation and the world
financial system." With this in view, he continued, "all key decisions
should be made jointly on principles of equality and respect for each
other. We should resolutely fight protectionism. The role of countries
with the developing economies should be enhanced in the world economic
system and its institutions."