BEIJING - In a New Year's address broadcast on Saturday, Chinese President Hu Jintao said that China will continue to develop friendly exchanges with other countries.

Hu pushed for a faster transformation of the country's economic development pattern and structural adjustments while making more efforts in ensuring people's livelihood.

China will continue to balance maintaining steady and relatively fast economic growth with adjusting its economic structures and managing inflation expectations, he said in the speech titled "Jointly Improve World Peace and Development," which was broadcast by China Radio International, China National Radio and China Central Television.

China will stick to the guidelines of "one country, two systems" and a high degree of autonomy in maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, Hu said.

"We will adhere to the principles of 'peaceful reunification' and 'one country, two systems,' continue to push forward the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, ensure the basic benefits for those of the Chinese nationality, and endlessly work for the common benefit of the compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," he said.

In the face of complicated international situations and arduous tasks in maintaining domestic reform, development and stability, Chinese people united and continued to push forward the opening up and reform drive and the socialist modernization construction, while maintaining steady and relatively fast economic growth and making progress in building a well-off society in an all-around way, he said.

China was also actively engaged in international cooperation to boost the growth of the global economy and financial stability, and it was involved in resolving international and regional issues, Hu said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 01/01/2012 page2)