Chinese leaders have called for greater cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in a time of economic uncertainty.

"China and ASEAN countries need to strengthen economic ties at a time when the cloud of the financial crisis is yet to clear and new waves of risks are bubbling", Hua Jianmin, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee said at the opening ceremony of the Sixth Pan-Beibu Gulf (PBG) Economic Cooperation Forum.

China and PBG countries should establish and improve cooperation mechanisms, set up transportation networks via land and sea, and boost cultural exchanges, Hua said.

PBG countries include China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Guangdong province, Hainan province, and six ASEAN members including Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei.

Chen Zongxing, Vice Chairman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, proposed that China and ASEAN countries broaden cooperation channels, push forward cooperation in major areas, eliminate trade barriers and gain financial support from international financial organizations.

China is now the largest trading partner and the second largest export market of ASEAN, while ASEAN is the third largest trading partner of China.

Trade between China and ASEAN has grown from $7.96 billion in 1991 to $292.78 billion in 2010, up 37 times. In the first half of this year, trade between the two parties reached $171.12 billion, up 25 percent year-on-year, according to China Customs data.