Chinese President Hu to attend G8 meeting in Italy, along with other developing nations

China’s Hu to attend G8 meeting in Italy

BEIJING — Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend next month’s meeting in Italy between leaders of the Group of Eight nations and those of emerging economies, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Hu will attend the July 8-10 meeting in Trieste, Italy, at the invitation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, it said in a statement.

The meeting is likely to be devoted to the world economic crisis. China is considered one of the key economies driving global growth during the slump.

Hu will arrive in Italy July 5 for a state visit before attending the G-8 meeting, and then he will head to Portugal July 10-11.

The G-8 industrialized nations, which account for nearly 60 percent of the world economy, are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and the United States.

Italy has championed the idea of expanding the G-8 to include economic powerhouse nations such as China.

Over the last year or so, the Group of 20 nations, which includes developing giants China, Russia, India and Brazil, has gained attention given their growing importance in the global economy. In April, the G-20 leaders met in London to discuss the financial crisis.