Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday that China has entered the best time in history in its relations with Eurasian countries and is embracing a new height of cooperation for mutual benefit.

Wen made the remarks when addressing the second China-Eurasia Economic Development and Cooperation Forum in Urumqi of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, an important session of the second China-Eurasia Expo.

Wen said China established good-neighborly and cooperative relations with Central Asian countries and successfully settled the historical legacy of boundary issues.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), with a growing number of members, observers and dialogue partners, has carried out productive economic and security cooperation, since its inception 11 years ago, he said.

Wen listed several mechanisms and relations China built up with countries in the region, including the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum with West Asian countries, strategic dialogue with the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), and strategic and cooperative partnerships with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

China held two sessions of the Economic and Trade Forum with the Central and East European countries, the premier said.

According to him, over the past ten years, China's trade with countries in Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia has surged from 25.4 billion U.S. dollars to over 370 billion U.S. dollars, growing at an average annual rate of 30.8 percent. Chinese companies have made direct investment worth 250 billion U.S. dollars in Eurasian countries and signed project contracts worth about 470 billion U.S. dollars.

"West and Central Asian countries are China's most important partners for energy cooperation," the premier said, adding their cooperation in the field has expanded from simple import and procurement to both upstream and downstream sectors covering design, prospecting, refining, processing, storage, transport and maintenance.

Wen said the construction of the grand Eurasia passage is speeding up. The China-Kazakhstan oil and gas pipelines have started operation. The second cross-border railway between China and Kazakhstan has been successfully linked up. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway will be soon launched in full.

"A multi-dimensional silk road consisting of roads, railways, air flights, communications and oil and gas pipelines is taking shape," Wen said.

He noted that the development of Eurasian countries and their growing ties have brought not only tangible benefits to people of all countries, but also peace and stability to the world.

As long as the Eurasian countries embrace sincere cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual accommodation, they are fully capable of taking destiny in their own hands and achieving development and rejuvenation, he said.

The Second China-Eurasia Expo will be held from Sept. 2 to 7. Fifty-five countries and regions, six international organizations, including United Nations Development Program and United Nations Industrial Development Organization, will attend the expo.

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