The 2023 Euro-Asia Economic Forum, with the theme of creating opportunities for cooperation and pursuing future development, opened on Friday in Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Politicians, businesspeople and scholars from 51 countries and regions are attending the three-day forum.

This year's edition features 13 parallel sessions on topics including policy coordination, financial cooperation, economic and trade exchanges, technological innovation, ecological conservation, and cultural and tourism development.

An economic and trade expo also opened on the sidelines of the forum. It consists of five areas, including an international import exhibition area and a theme area featuring five Central Asian countries.

The Euro-Asia Economic Forum, an important economic cooperation mechanism under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, has been held every two years since its inception in 2005.