A senior Chinese leader on Thursday proposed that efforts be made to forge a Euro-Asia partnership featuring peace, amity and harmony to inject continuous vitality into regional development.

Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second Euro-Asia Economic Forum in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Jia, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the central task of future Euro-Asia regional cooperation is to implement consensus reached by all sides and turn the potential of cooperation into real achievements as soon as possible.

The second Euro-Asia Economic Forum opened on Thursday morning in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, drawing 1,400 delegates from more than 20 countries.

During the two-day forum, participants will discuss cooperation and development in the fields of energy, tourism, education, finance. A roundtable meeting of governors and mayors will also be held, according to the organizers.

The forum is sponsored by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretariat, the SCO Business Council, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the secretariat of Eurasian Economic Community, China Development Bank and Shaanxi Provincial Government.

Xi'an, which hosted the first session of the forum in November 2005, has been named the permanent venue of the forum.