The World Trade Organization (WTO) should maintain its momentum on Aid for Trade so that poor countries could be helped in the current world economic crisis, the Chinese ambassador to the organization said on Friday.

"In every economic crisis, it is the poor and the weak who suffer the most...we should continue to provide adequate assistance," Sun Zhenyu told a WTO meeting on Aid for Trade, an initiative aimed at helping poor countries to build trade capacity and benefit from trade opening.

Aid for Trade is "one of the areas that WTO can contribute in responding to the current crisis," Sun said.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy's has recommended that on top of the Doha Round trade negotiations, Aid for Trade should be one of the organization's focuses in 2009.

Sun said China fully supports Lamy's recommendation.

He also called on WTO's developed members to take the lead in providing additional funds for Aid for Trade efforts.

"After all, this is also in their fundamental interests since we are all on the same boat," he said.

According to the ambassador, China, as a major developing member, attaches great importance to Aid for Trade and has been making its efforts, bilaterally and multilaterally, to provide assistance to other developing members.

Just a few days ago, Chinese President Hu Jintao "paid a state visit to four African countries to reiterate our commitments to enhance bilateral cooperation and to implement measures agreed at the Beijing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation," Sun said.

"Furthermore, there will be a series of follow-up activities both in Africa and China this year," he added.

Sun said China would also focus on regional cooperation, particuarly cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

As a major participant to the "Asian Great Mekong Project", China will continue to work actively with our partners and make the project more effective and fruitful, he said.