Chinese President Hu Jintao called here Sunday for closer cooperation among the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members in energy, security, environmental protection and health, and urged efforts to seek a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

He made the calls in an address to the second retreat of the two-day 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which began here on Saturday.

COOPERATION AMONG APEC MEMBERS

The APEC members should establish and implement the new concept of energy security featuring mutually beneficial cooperation, diversified development and coordinated guarantee, Hu said.

On the one hand, APEC members should strengthen cooperation in energy exploration and utilization, and set up a system for the research, development and popularization of advanced energy technology, he said.

On the other hand, APEC members should create a favorable political environment and improve the international energy market mechanism so as to maintain stable energy supply with rational prices.

"China is willing to work with other APEC members to contribute to the international energy security and sustainable regional development," Hu said, urging more use of environment-friendly energy and more importance attached to the research, development and application of technologies concerning environmental protection.

Only by intensifying international cooperation, could APEC members curb major infectious diseases and safeguard health security in the face of accelerated process of globalization, the president said.

"We should implement earnestly a series of documents on health cooperation endorsed by APEC in recent years," he said.

APEC members should also improve preventive measures, exchange experience and boost transfer of technology in controlling the spread of infectious diseases, he added.

In April, China hosted an APEC symposium to discuss the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases.

"China is willing to make joint efforts with other APEC members to safeguard people's health in the region," he said.

NUCLEAR ISSUE ON KOREAN PENINSULA

As for the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese president said it is China's persistent stance to stick to the denuclearization of the peninsula and seek a peaceful solution to the issue through dialogue and negotiation.

"As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China will implement relevant Security Council resolutions earnestly and responsibly" he said, adding that the six-party talks were an effective way to solve the issue.

China expects all the parties concerned to take concrete measures to resume the talks as soon as possible and implement a joint statement adopted in September 2005 for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, he said.

The six-party talks, which involve China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Russia, the United States, Japan and South Korea, has been stalled since November last year.

In a declaration issued at the end of the APEC meeting, APEC leaders agreed to make efforts to realize APEC's goal of free and open trade and investment.

"We dedicated ourselves to preventing threats to sustainable development, to building a secure and favorable business environment and to enhancing human security," it said.

The declaration also said the APEC leaders endorsed the Hanoi Action Plan to implement the Busan roadmap aimed at realizing the Bogor goals.

The Bogor goals, adopted by APEC leaders at their 1994 meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, aim to achieve free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region by 2010 for industrialized economies and 2020 for developing ones.