XI'AN: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Monday called for expansion of economic cooperation between Asian and European countries to fight against the financial crisis at the 2009 Euro-Asia Economic Forum.

He said European and Asian countries should expand business and investment cooperation, mutually develop markets, facilitate free trade and guarantee the quality of their products.

He also called on financial organizations to further provide services for large projects of cooperation.

Cooperation should be strengthened in the fields of energy and resources, with priorities in energy saving, new energy and renewable energy, to obtain sustainable development in the region, he said.

Xi called for promoting comprehensive cultural cooperation, including exchanges in science, technology, education, public health and journalism.

"We support the joint efforts of various countries to apply for including the Silk Road on the world heritage list," he said.

He also encouraged the improvement of regional cooperation mechanism as well as bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation, noting the Euro-Asia Economic Forum could make use of its own advantages and characteristics and play a bigger role in the process.

The two-day forum attracted about 930 delegates from more than 60 countries and regions including members and observers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the United Nations organizations. Delegates from the world Top 500 companies also attended the forum.

They will discuss how to fight the global economic downturn through the cooperation in finance, energy, customs and business as well as education, said Zhang Deguang, Secretary-General of the forum.

The biennial Euro-Asia Economic Forum was launched in Xi'an in 2005. The city was named the permanent venue of the forum in April 2007.