The Ninth Investment & Trade Forum for Co-operation between East & West China is scheduled to be held April 6 to 10, next year in northwest China's Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, said the organizers Wednesday.

A crucial national economic and trade gathering, the forum aims to promote the interaction and coordinated development between eastern, central and western regions of the country.

Investment talks -- foreign investment in particular -- will constitute an important part of the ninth forum, according to organizers.

The forum is co-sponsored by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, 24 provincial and municipal governments.

Beginning in 1997, the annual forum has raised 289.8 billion yuan (about 35 billion US dollars) of domestic investment and 11.8billion US dollars of foreign investment for central and western regions.

The total trade value in the previous forums registered at 156.9 billion yuan (18.9 billion US dollars).

Source: Xinhua