Hu Jintao leaves Beijing to attend G8 dialogue meeting to discuss food security

BCC Beijing July 5 News President Hu Jintao left Beijing today (5th) on a special plane to Italy to attend a dialogue meeting between the Group of eight and five developing countries and Egyptian leaders to be held there and to visit Italy and Portugal respectively.　　During the meeting, the Parties will focus on the financial crisis and the world economic recovery, climate change, energy security, food security, international trade, development issues, such as the current international community's most concerned about the issue of a full exchange of views, the formation of consensus and the leaders of the common Declaration and other forms. The group of Eight is made up of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia. The summit of the eight countries is held annually in each member's country.　　This year was scheduled to take place in the Italian tourist destination of Sardinia, but was later diverted to the central Italian city of L ' Aquila, which suffered from the earthquake two months ago. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the change of venue would help save money for reconstruction and help with security during the summit.　　He said he did not believe protesters had the heart to organize large-scale demonstrations in the hardest hit areas of the quake. The group of Eight is made up of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia. The five developing countries were China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico.　　This meeting of the Group of eight leaders will focus on the financial crisis and the world economic recovery, climate change, energy security, food security, international trade, development issues, such as the current international community's most concerned about the issue of a full exchange of views, the formation of consensus and the leaders of the common Declaration and other forms. It is understood that the central Italian city of Aquila in the early morning of April 6 suffered a magnitude 5.8 earthquake, the earthquake is the most serious in Italy in 30 years, resulting in nearly 300 people were killed, 1500 injured, 60,000 people homeless, many historical buildings were destroyed. According to Italian authorities, 16 billion dollars will be needed for post-disaster reconstruction.