The French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, told the seminar that China should only join the G8 group of most industrialised nations once democracy is more firmly rooted in Beijing.
Speaking at a press conference, he called the G8 an "exclusive club" and said its members "should share a wider scope of values" than those embraced by broader international organisations.
Recalling that Russia only joined the then G7 after embracing a more democratic form of government, Mr Jospin said China needed to fall into line with global financial and trade regulations, citing Beijing's recent trade agreement to open up its markets as a primary example.
The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, recently proposed China's membership in the G8 as a means of bringing it closer to the community of Western nations.
Mr Jospin praised Western advances in regulating global financial markets, calling the reaction to the Mexican, Asian and Russian financial crises "effective".
On the subject of speculative capital markets, Mr Jospin criticised the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, who suggested that the West should not alter a system that investors trusted.
Mr Jospin said yesterday that nations should not be afraid to change market regulations that "provoked distrust" among investors. He also said he hoped to participate in the next New Left summit in Germany in March if his schedule allowed it, saying he did not regret attending this weekend's meeting despite the marked differences among the leaders.