by Maria Spiliopoulou
DELPHI, Greece, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Through further adjustments and reforms, China is expected to continue playing a significant role in advancing globalization and development worldwide, said Cheng Li, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, a prominent U.S. think tank.
"I do believe that China has already contributed a lot in terms of poverty alleviation, in terms of infrastructure development, now moving towards technology innovation, climate change and other important areas of development," Li said in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the ongoing 4th annual Delphi Economic Forum, which concludes Sunday.
Li, one of the speakers during a session themed "China 2019: A New Paradigm of Globalization?" at the forum on Friday, said China has a development model different from most Western economies and wants to promote more inclusive growth.
"In many areas China could contribute to the global economy," he said, citing the fact that various economic interest groups, including the poor, have benefited from economic globalization.
"In China's case, poor people also benefit from economic globalization," Li said, referring to China's poverty alleviation efforts as the greatest miracle in human history.
Meanwhile, he said how the international community will integrate China with the global system is a very big challenge for all.
Regarding the frictions between China and the United States on trade issues, Li voiced optimism that there is light on the horizon as the leaders of both countries and their teams acknowledge the tremendous progress made over the past few months.
He said that the two sides seem to have already reached agreements on a number of key issues.
"I think the world needs to see these two countries working together rather than against each other," Li said.
More than 400 political leaders, academics, bankers and global financiers from Europe, Asia and Africa are attending the four-day forum that opened on Thursday in Delphi, 120 km northwest of Athens, which ancient Greeks considered the navel of the world.
