The Omani trade delegation headed for the first Arab-Chinese Business Forum Saturday, the Times of Oman daily reported Sunday.

The four-day forum, organized by the Arab League in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry of China and the Chinese Council for Promotion of International Trade, will be held from April 12-15 in the Chinese capital of Beijing, said the daily.

Headed by President of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry Salim bin Said Al Ghattami, the Omani delegation comprises 40 businessmen and officials of private sector companies.

Al Ghattami will address the forum on April 14 and talk about investment opportunities in Oman, added the daily.

Delegations from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Palestine and other Arab nations are also going to attend the forum.

During the forum, ministers and delegates from the various Arab states will address industry gatherings in order to highlight the progress and investment opportunities in their countries.

Bilateral trade between China and the six rich nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC), namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, was estimated to exceed 20 billion US dollars in 2004, compared with 16.9 billion dollars in 2003.

China is the third largest trading partner of GCC after the United States and Japan, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics.

Source: Xinhua