HANGZHOU, Feb. 27 - A closer Asia-Pacific partnership for development and prosperity was advocated by a senior Chinese diplomat on Thursday.

Addressing the first APEC senior officials' meeting of the year in the Chinese city of Ningbo, Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong described the Asia-Pacific region as a strong engine for world growth, facing both a bright future and daunting challenges.

APEC members must work together to build a closer partnership, Li said while chairing the meeting.

He called on the members to seize opportunities, make pioneering efforts, build more consensus on integration and development of the Asia-Pacific, and strive for new achievements and breakthroughs, to promote sustained development, progress and prosperity.

The meeting in Ningbo from Thursday to Friday, is the first APEC event since China took over as 2014 host of the APEC summit. The event focused on three key topics: regional economic integration, innovative development, and infrastructure connectivity.

The APEC summit, with the theme of "Shaping the Future through Asia-Pacific Partnership," will take place in Beijing in November.