NANNING, May 15 -- China's vice minister of transport has urged stronger cooperation in sea transport in the Pan-Beibu Gulf Zone to turn the region into a new growth pillar in the western Pacific Ocean.

Weng Mengyong made the remarks on Thursday at the 8th Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum held in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The 21st-century Maritime Silk Road is a win-win development and all sides in the region should work together in sea transport and promote the development of logistics, Weng said.

China is ready to work with countries in the region to build a maritime economic belt stretching to the Pacific and Indian oceans and to promote friendship and build mutual trust for harmonious development, he added.

The Pan-Beibu Gulf Zone covers the Chinese regions of Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan, and Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei.

It has grown into a major sub-regional cooperation platform under the China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) network.

Sea transport is essential to economic cooperation in the zone, according to Weng. In 2012, ships carried 65 percent of all goods shipped between China and ASEAN members.

The 21st-century Maritime Silk Road was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a speech on economic ties with the ASEAN during his visit to Indonesia in October.

The ancient maritime silk road dates back more than 2,000 years, when merchants sailed from China's east coast, passing Southeast Asia, Southernmost India and East Africa, all the way to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, strengthening economic ties and cultural exchanges.

More than 500 government officials, experts and entrepreneurs from China and ASEAN countries attended the forum.

The forum also prioritized financial innovation such as jointly building an investment and financing system for Pan-Beibu Gulf industries and infrastructure.