Fu Mengzi, Assistant President of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, pointed out that the summit did achieve some encouraging results. It paved the way for the summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Pittsburgh, the United States, in September with agreements on the state of the world economy and reform of the international financial system. It reached consensus on dealing with global warming to prepare for the international climate change conference to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December. It set a timetable for the Doha Round world trade negotiations. G8 leaders also held discussions on assistance to underdeveloped countries and coordination among major powers, Fu said.

G8 leaders endorsed the Lecce Frame-work on common principles and standards for "propriety, integrity and transparency" in international business and finance and will bring it to the upcoming G20 summit, according to the G8 Chair's Summary issued on July 10.

They agreed on a global long-term goal of reducing global emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 and reducing emissions in developed countries by 80 percent or more by the same year, the document says. However, it does not specify the base year for comparison.

Moreover, they agreed to unblock negotiations to bring an "ambitious and balanced" conclusion to the Doha Round in 2010.

Increasing participation

Emerging countries' growing influence is a stark reality in the world today, Fu said. In light of their role in regional economy and security and global coordination, it is natural that they have a bigger say in international affairs, he said.

At the L'Aquila summit, G8+5 leaders agreed to continue their dialogue for two years as the Heiligendamm-L'Aquila Process. The G8+5 group was formed in 2005 when Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, invited leading emerging economies to join the talks at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

At the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, in 2007, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the establishment of the Heiligendamm Process, institutionalizing the dialogue between the G8 countries and the five major emerging economies.

Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the G8 summit has evolved from a "party of the rich club" to a dialogue mechanism with extensive participation and an annual summit where leaders of developed countries and developing countries jointly address major international issues, said an editorial in the People's Daily Overseas Edition on July 10. The development testifies to the fact that the international system is embracing greater democracy and multipolarization, it said.

The G5 balances the G8, thus helping make developed countries' plans and suggestions more reasonable, it said. This year's G8 summit had on its agenda more than 10 topics including the financial crisis, international trade, climate change, food security, energy security, African development, nuclear nonproliferation and antiterrorism. Without developing countries, it is obviously impossible to resolve these issues, the editorial said.

The G20 has gained prominence as the world battles the financial crisis, another testament to developing countries' growing role in the international arena, it said. The G20, comprising even more developing countries, has convened two summits to explore ways to cope with the crisis and is going to hold a third one in September.

To reduce disputes and achieve effective cooperation under the present international order devised by the West, the editorial called on developed countries to take developing countries' interests into full consideration and amend rules that do not conform to reality. The G8+5 mechanism should not only become more representative, but also give developed and developing members equal say so that it can come up with workable solutions to the world's problems, it said.