China wants to enhance tourism cooperation with APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members on the basis on mutual benefits to boost the common development of the industry, a Chinese official told Xinhua at Hoi An, Vietnam on Tuesday.

"The fundamental way to boost tourism in the region is to strengthen cooperation and exchanges," Gu Zhaoxi, vice chairman of China's National Tourism Administration, said on the sidelines of the 4th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting being held here in Quang Nam province. He added that the closer ties are also quite necessary in dealing with risks posing to the industry such as natural disasters, disease, and surging international oil price.

China agrees with the APEC members at the meeting on some initiatives on bolstering the region's travel industry, and beefing up cooperation in the field, he said.

"We have cooperated with APEC members on tourism education, exchange management, tourism resort development, and tourism product improvement," he said. He noted that China not only wants foreigners to visit the country, but also Chinese people make overseas tours.

At the one-day meeting with the theme "Promoting APEC Tourism Cooperation for Common Prosperity," ministers responsible for tourism from APEC economies mainly discuss issues on assuring safety and security for tourists, developing sustainable tourism, and improving tourism infrastructure and products.

APEC has 21 member economies, including China, the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore and Australia, which account for more than a third of the world's population and over 41 percent of world trade.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2006)