The dream of economic development by 1.3 billion people will not only benefit China itself, but also the world as a whole, scholars told a symposium in Beijing on Sunday.

"The opening of China enables Chinese as well as people in other countries to fulfil their Chinese dream," said President of the Chinese Foreign Affairs University Wu Jianmin.

Compared with dreams of some foreign countries in history, the Chinese dream is different as China will fulfill its dream by peaceful development instead of colonization, said Wu.

The scale of foreign direct investment in China also means that the Chinese dream belongs to the world, he added.

By 2004, nearly half a million foreign-funded companies had been established in China, with a total contracted foreign investment of 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars. About 562.1 billion dollars has been put to use.

The Chinese pursuing their dream also pay high respect to other cultures, which is important for the peaceful development of the world, said Hao Ping, president of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Hao said Chinese should also learn from other countries to fulfill their dream.

The symposium with the theme of "the Chinese dream and a harmonious world" attracted more than 100 scholars and experts.

It was organized by China National Association for International Studies, the Chinese Foreign Affairs University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Tianjin Institute of Foreign Languages.

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