China and Japan will open their first high-level economic dialogue in Beijing on Dec. 1, a spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Wednesday.

 

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda agreed on the opening date during their meeting in Singapore, the spokesman said.

 

Premier Wen and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to launch the initiative during Wen's visit to Japan in April.

 

The dialogue, with the theme of "Cooperation, Win-Win and Coordinated Development", will be a platform to exchange economic development strategies and economic policies.

 

The event will also be a forum for the discussion of major bilateral economic concerns and a chance to strengthen communications on major regional and international economic issues.

 

The dialogue will focus on macroeconomic issues, energy conservation and environmental protection, trade and investment, and regional and international cooperation.

 

Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan will deliver a keynote speech at the dialogue.

 

Zeng and Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura are the coordinators for their respective countries, Liu Jianchao, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a regular press conference on Tuesday.

 

China and Japan have seen their bilateral trade and investment boom in recent years.

 

China's trade with Japan rose at annual rate of 14 percent to 191.89 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of the year.

 

China has overtaken the United States to become the biggest trading partner of Japan.

 

Japan, which is China's second-largest source of foreign investment, had invested 60.78 billion U.S. dollars in China by the end of October.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2007)