BEIJING, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - President Hu Jintao significantly raised China's world diplomatic profile with a robust appearance at the Asia-Pacific summit, state media on Monday quoted his foreign minister as saying.

Hu, who seeks to cement his leadership of China at a key Community Party meeting next month, bolstered ties with other countries and offered substantive proposals on global issues at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting, Yang Jiechi said, according to Xinhua news agency.

SYDNEY, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - The man who may become Australia's next prime minister met China's President Hu Jintao Friday and won high-level kudos for his rare Mandarin language skills.

Australian opposition leader Kevin Rudd, who will face incumbent John Howard in elections before the end of the year, cracked jokes in Mandarin when he met with Hu at a Sydney hotel.

'You speak perfect Chinese and you know China inside and out,' a chuckling Hu told Rudd.

Hu is in Sydney for the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

SYDNEY, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao told US President George W. Bush Thursday that Beijing would pursue moves to let the yuan float, a step that could narrow the US trade gap with China, the White House said.

'President Hu indicated that China would continue to reform the currency exchange system and let the market play an increasing role,' said Bush's deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, Dan Price.

SYDNEY, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - China supports APEC moves to tackle climate change but the 'main channel' for international agreement on the global problem should be the United Nations, President Hu Jintao said Thursday.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has made climate change a key item at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and hopes to push leaders towards a declaration here which would set goals on energy efficiency.

BEIJING, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - China`s top leadership said Thursday the economy was in good shape but preventing dangerous overheating was the nation`s top economic policy priority.

The meeting, comprised of China`s senior leadership and chaired by President Hu Jintao, concluded that rising price levels needed to be controlled, along with excessively rapid credit and investment activity and trade surplus growth.

The government had to 'prevent general price levels from rising too quickly,' said the official statement carried by Xinhua.