Senior officials and scholars from the European Union (EU) and China held a conference here, urging the two sides to enhance cooperation dedicated to seeking a global solution to the financial crisis.

"After the financial crisis hit us, we stood closer, supported each other and worked together for an early recovery of our economy and that of the world. We become tightly bound more than ever before," Chinese ambassador to the EU Song Zhe said in a keynote speech at the conference in the European Parliament on Monday.

"We have every reason to cooperate," Song said, adding China and the EU have converging interest and share common responsibility.

Sino-EU relations has experienced slight derailing last year, as China postponed a summit with the EU due to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to meet the Dalai Lama when France held the EU presidency.Relations appeared back on track in the face of the global financial crisis.

Early this year, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Europe on a Journey of Confidence. Later during the G20 summit in London early this month, President Hu Jintao met a number of European leaders to consolidate mutual trust.

In an effort to build a joint front against the financial and economic crisis, a trade and investment delegation from China last month struck multi-billion-U.S.-dollar deals with European companies to boost trade.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan is scheduled to visit Brussels next week for high-level economic dialogues with EU counterparts.

The 11th China-EU Summit will be held in Prague in mid-May, as the Czech Republic is holding the current EU presidency.

The EU is the biggest organization of developed countries and China is the biggest developing country, Song said, adding bilateral relationship takes on greater global and strategic importance.

Antonie Quero-Mussot, deputy head of cabinet of EU Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, noted that cooperation between the EU, China and beyond is a necessary condition for a solution to the global financial crisis.

"Without the dialogue not only between the EU and China, but also between all the major economies... there will not be a solution to the crisis," he said.

His remark was echoed by Mei Zhaorong, former president of Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

"We can not solve the problem alone but have to work together," Mei said at the conference.

He also downplayed the possibility of a G2 framework, under which the United States and China are expected to have a joint central role of leading the world out of the crisis.

"We are not of the opinion that we alone with the U.S. can solve the problem," Mei said, "I do not think Europe like that opinion either."

"I think the current form of G20 is far better. We should look at developing countries and emerging economies," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2009)