Seven members of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) have confirmed their presence at an economic and commercial cooperation forum between China and the CPLP, which will be held in Luanda on March 28-30.

The seven countries are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor.

According to official sources on Saturday, the forum that will gather at least 350 firms and individuals is being prepared by the Angola Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIA) and aims to promote economic and trade cooperation among China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The previous session of the forum held in Macau, China in October 2003 saw the signing of the "Action Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation," which says member countries need to facilitate trade and investment to promote bilateral trade ties.