Hu, speaking on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Japan, also reiterated China's commitment to "peaceful development" at a time when the two big East Asian powers are engaged in a bitter territorial dispute.

China, the world's number-two economy and top exporter, is under pressure to reduce its huge trade surplus, allow its yuan currency to rise and take more action on issues such as climate change.

"The international community should encourage emerging markets in the Asia Pacific to assume international responsibilities on the basis of their capabilities, national circumstances and levels of development," Hu said.

"To ask them to take on responsibilities and obligations beyond their capabilities and development stage will do no good to international cooperation and world economic development," he told a business forum.

"It can only damage the development of Asia Pacific emerging markets," he added, speaking ahead of the opening of a summit of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Yokohama near Tokyo.

The gathering of world leaders comes amid a diplomatic feud between China and Japan after Tokyo arrested the Chinese captain of a fishing trawler in disputed waters more than two months ago, drawing Beijing's ire.

Japan has since released him, but the row has simmered on, sparking street protests in both countries.

No formal summit had been announced between Hu and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Hu, who came straight to Yokohama from a G20 summit in South Korea, also answered criticism that China keeps the yuan artificially low to boost exports, thereby amassing huge trade surpluses at the expense of other countries.

"We will continue to steadily move forward the reform of the renminbi exchange rate regime in a self-initiated, controllable and gradual manner," he said.

China pledged in June to allow the yuan to trade more "flexibly" but it has increased only slightly in value, and Beijing has come under US and European pressure to let it rise faster.

US President Barack Obama reiterated those concerns on Friday at the end of the G20 summit in Seoul, saying he hoped China would soon make progress on the appreciation of the yuan, which he qualified as "undervalued."

On the theme of the APEC summit -- trade -- Hu called on the international community to "oppose protectionism in all manifestations, call for and support free trade and handle frictions through dialogue and consultations."

He also pledged support for reviving stalled talks to free up global trade launched by the World Trade Organisation at its Doha Round in 2001.

The world community "should work for comprehensive and balanced outcomes of the Doha Round negotiations on the basis of the existing achievements, in order to realise the goals of the development round at an early date," he said.

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