Leaders at G8 summit to discuss how China can help other nations

China's development model and capacity to help developing countries will be on the agenda at the round-table session at the G8 summit in St Petersburg, a senior Russian diplomat said yesterday.

Mikhail Kamynin, the spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the prevention and control of epidemics, education and the elimination of poverty were part of the main agenda for the Group of Eight summit

The summit brings together the leaders of the world's eight leading developed countries and invited counterparts from various countries, including China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and the Republic of Congo.

'China has accumulated a lot of successful experience in poverty reduction and elimination, the prevention of infectious diseases and improving education,' Mr Kamynin said. 'The multilateral dialogue between the G8 leaders and the invited countries [on Monday] can provide a platform to study and discuss whether [the experience] can be drawn on by developing countries [to solve their related problems].'

President Hu Jintao will arrive in St Petersburg, home town of summit host Russian President Vladimir Putin, tomorrow. The Chinese foreign ministry said Mr Hu was expected to hold bilateral talks with US President George W. Bush and other leaders on the summit's sidelines.

Diplomatic observers have suggested North Korea's nuclear crisis will be a hot topic and all countries will focus on whether China can persuade its neighbour to return to the six-party talks. Mr Kamynin yesterday confirmed North Korea's missile tests and Iran's nuclear activities were excluded from the main agenda, but would be discussed by the G8 leaders on the sidelines. 'The G8 leaders will arrange a time to set up special topics for the North Korea and Iran nuclear problems too,' he said.