"Better co-ordination at the global level is necessary to tackle the spread of avian flu and any possible outbreak of a human influenza pandemic," said EU health commissioner Markos Kyprianou.

"Asia, and in particular China, is at the forefront in this fight. Improved surveillance, transparency and technical cooperation within the region and with the EU is key to win this battle," he added.

China is considered one of the places where bird flu could mutate to a strain capable of human transmission, triggering a global pandemic that could spread like wildfire and kill millions.

But after its cover-up of the SARS respiratory disease crisis in 2003, Beijing has been praised for its transparency in tackling bird flu by the World Health Organisation and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The European Union is co-hosting the Beijing pledging conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with China and the World Bank. The European Commission is set to pledge 100 million US dollars.

Separately, Kyprianou also said he would press the Chinese authorities to clamp down on safety faults in exports of cheap goods such as plastic toys to Europe.

Nearly half of dangerous consumer products found in the EU are imported from China, he said. "This has to change, and we are joining forces with the Chinese government and industry to better protect European and Chinese consumers."

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