CANBERRA -- Ding Zhongli, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), called for cooperation and mutual understanding at the 28th annual summit of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum in the Australian capital.

He led a Chinese delegation to attend the forum which ran from Monday to Wednesday.

In his speech, Ding noted that in the year 2020 China will achieve its first centenary goal of building a well-off society shared by all.

China is willing to work with Asia-Pacific countries to promote peace through mutual understanding and trust, safeguard common security through unity and mutual assistance so as to advance coordinated economic, social and environmental development, and achieve sustained prosperity through mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.

"We are opposed to protectionism and unilateralism, and will guide economic globalization toward a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, balanced and win-win direction," said Ding.

Participants had discussions over topics including politics and security, economy and trade, as well as regional cooperation.

More than 20 delegations from Asia-Pacific countries attended the forum, where a joint communique was adopted.