Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang called for international cooperation on Saturday to restore global financial stability.

"Our current priority is to enhance international cooperation to prevent further deterioration and spillover of the crisis and restore global economic and financial stability," Yi said.

The deepening and widening of the U.S. financial crisis have triggered a major global slowdown and escalating uncertainty, Yi Gang said in a statement at the 18th meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) held on Saturday.

While the advanced economies have slowed significantly since the US sub-prime crisis, the emerging market economies have maintained robust growth but the deteriorating external environment is putting the resilience of their macroeconomic policies to the test, he said.

The crisis has underscored shortcomings in the financial markets, Yi said. He expressed his hope that the stabilizing measures of the advanced economies will have the positive effect of calming the markets and restoring confidence.

"China is willing to strengthen its cooperation with other countries and, through such joint efforts, we hope global financial stability can be safeguarded," he said.

In line with their status, Yi said, the major reserve currency issuing countries should shoulder the responsibility for preventing further spillovers and minimizing shocks to other economies -- especially to the emerging markets.

To promote balanced and steady global growth over the longer term, efforts should be made to advance structural reforms and increase savings, he pointed out.

The International Monetary Fund -- at the core of the international monetary system -- should carry out its mandate to safeguard global economic and financial stability, he said. The IMFC is the steering committee of the 185-nation lending institution.

Yi also noted that as the impact of the crisis on the real economy is much worse than expected and the recovery more protracted and difficult, the risks of deflation in some countries as a result of the credit crunch have increased significantly.

"It is imperative that the major advanced economies coordinate rapid implementation of bailout packages to avoid deflation and facilitate the global recovery," said Yi.

"However, we should be aware that the injection of liquidity from these emergency measures could be a potential source of inflation in the medium and long term," the deputy governor said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 12, 2008)