Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (C, back) presides over a meeting on promoting the "Belt and Road" Initiatives, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiatives, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on Friday called for closer economic and trade cooperation among countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

China will try to reach investment protection deals with related countries and facilitate investment, trade and people-to-people exchanges, Zhang said at a high-level meeting on promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

China and its partners will jointly establish an international "economic cooperation corridor" via land by improving infrastructure connectivity while also building a "maritime transport corridor" by linking important sea ports along the route, said the vice premier.

Zhang asked taxation, finance, customs, quality supervision and quarantine authorities to roll out preferential policies to support Belt and Road cooperation.

"Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative is one of China's priorities for the next five years," said Zhang.

The initiative will bring great development opportunities to China and countries and regions along the route, he added.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which envisages the linking of development strategies of countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.