Chinese Premier says country cannot grow in isolation

He added that more open economic and trade policies would help it and the wider world.

Premier Wen said that he was confident the US and Europe would fully recover fro their current economic problems.

His comments came on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in the Chinese port city of Dalian.

China is the world's second-biggest economy but it has been criticised for some of its economic policies.

The US has been one of its most vocal critics, and the two have clashed over China's trade and currency measures.

China has been accused of focusing too much on driving export demand and keeping its currency artificially weak to achieve that end.

In his speech on Wednesday, Premier Wen said that China would now aim to boost domestic demand, and this in turn would help the global economy.

"I am confident that China's economy will make a new contribution to robust, sustainable and balanced growth in the global economy," Premier Wen said.

A BBC correspondent at the World Economic Forum in Dalian and said that while Wen Jiabao was full of confidence about the state of the global economy, many of the delegates did not share that optimism.

Leaders from Germany, France and Greece are set to meet Wednesday amid ongoing worries that Greece may default on its sovereign debt.

That could send shockwaves through other European economies and damage the region's banking system.

"There is a sense that the EU and US debt crises will roll on," she said.

But Premier Wen did say that China is willing to invest more in European countries, and asked them to recognise China as a market economy.

"We have on many occasions expressed our readiness to extend a helping hand and a readiness to increase our investment in Europe," he said in his speech.