Chinese President Hu Jintao said Friday the Chinese government will safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news media and continue to facilitate foreign media coverage of China in accordance with the law.

"We will continue to make government affairs public, enhance information distribution, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news organizations and reporters, and facilitate foreign media coverage of China in accordance with China's laws and regulations," Hu said while addressing the World Media Summit in Beijing.

Foreign media coverage of China is growing in terms of its scale, scope and range, which "has played an important role in helping people around the world understand the development and changes in China," he said.

The government also supports the Chinese media in enhancing exchanges and cooperation with their foreign counterparts in news communication, human resources, information technologies and business development, he said.