Vice-Premier Wang Yang on Thursday called for countries in Eurasia to boost cooperation and make the Silk Road economic belt benefit the people in the region.

The Eurasia region has ushered in a historical period with the most intertwined interests and greatest opportunities for cooperation, Wang said in a keynote speech at the 2013 Euro-Asia Economic Forum in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.

President Xi Jinping's proposal to build the Silk Road economic belt has brought unprecedented opportunities for regional development, Wang said, calling on the countries in the Eurasia region to facilitate the project to yield results at an early date and benefit the people.

To enhance cooperation, Eurasian countries need to deepen political mutual trust and focus on development, with countries sharing development experience and allowing each country to explore development paths that suit their national conditions, Wang said.

Wang also urged the countries to open up, fight protectionism in all forms, promote the free movement of people and expand exchanges in education and tourism.

Meanwhile, more than 100 representatives and experts attending the Fifth Euro-Asia Economic Forum held in Xi'an on Thursday focused on new energy and the green economy and discussed solutions for sustainable urban development.

During the Science and Technology Sub-forum of the event, held on Thursday afternoon, 29 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including Jiang Zhenghua, Wu Jinglian and Cheng Siwei, discussed the topics of climate, environment, sustainable development and other issues with local companies.

Some of the academicians established long-term cooperation projects with local companies during the forum, in a bid to increase technological innovation in the companies and drive economic development in Shaanxi through technology, said Zhang Jing'an, the secretary-general of the sub-forum.

"The energy revolution led by new energy will be the fourth industrial revolution," said Cheng, the academician, who is also a well-known economist and management scientist, in his keynote speech on the sub-forum.

Cheng added that China made great efforts to develop new energy projects and is among the top two countries in the world in terms of new energy investments, which shows that the Chinese government pays great attention to the problem of global warming.

The sub-forum was organized by the Xi'an High-tech Development Zone, which concentrates a number of high-tech companies and has ample experience in innovation-driven eco-city construction.

Xinhua - China Daily

(China Daily 09/27/2013 page14)