This Fijian resort has rolled out red carpet for more than 600 distinguished guests who are arriving in Nadi Tuesday for a forum meeting aimed at promoting economic development and cooperation between China and Pacific island countries.

The First Ministerial Meeting of the China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum is scheduled to open here on Wednesday with the theme of "Promoting Cooperation for Common Development."

The two-day meeting is co-sponsored by the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Fiji Islands in order to further improve mutual understanding and expand trade and economic cooperation.

It will be attended by the heads of state or government, ministers and other senior officials of Australia, China, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived here Tuesday for an official visit to Fiji, will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony for the meeting.

In the presence of leaders of China and Pacific island countries, the representatives of their respective governments will sign the China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Guiding Framework for tapping the great potential for further development of economic and trade cooperation between China and Pacific island countries.

The ministers will also decide on the venue to hold the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum to examine and assess the achievements of the first conference.

The ministers and other high-level officials will then join hundreds of entrepreneurs from both China and Pacific island countries to discuss trade and economic cooperation in such fields as tourism, transportation, trade and investment, agriculture, forestry, fishery, and natural and human resources.

In recent years, China and Pacific island countries have enjoyed an ever-enhancing political mutual trust, more commercial and human exchanges and deepening economic and trade cooperation in various fields.

According to the statistics of the Chinese Customs, the bilateral trade volume in 2005 was 838 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year growth of 58 percent, among which China's export was 424 million U.S. dollars and import 414 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 93 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

Source: Xinhua