Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the plenary session of the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) held in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 7, 2019. Xi Jinping on Friday attended the plenary session of the 23rd SPIEF along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other guests. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping here on Friday called for joint efforts in forging ahead sustainable development and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In his address to the plenary session of the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Xi said the global governance system is facing unprecedented inadaptation and asymmetry to the changes in international situation, as emerging market economies and developing countries are rising at an unprecedented speed, with intense competition brought by a new round of technology and industrial revolution.

Noting that pooling wisdom and efforts of everyone to cooperate and achieve win-win outcomes is the right choice to address changes in the world, Xi highlighted sustainable development as the best entry point to cooperation for shared interests worldwide.

He called for joint efforts in creating an open world economy, people-oriented and inclusive societies, and a beautiful homeland with harmonious coexistence between human and nature, so as to hold the "golden key" of sustainable development to solve global problems.

Xi arrived in St. Petersburg on Thursday to attend the SPIEF for the first time. The Chinese president held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.