Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to the Republic of the Fiji Islands is of great significance to promoting ties between China and Fiji and other Pacific Island countries as well, said a Chinese official on Monday.

At the invitation of Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, Wen will pay an official visit to Fiji on April 4-5.

This is the first official visit to a Pacific Island country by a Chinese premier, said Liu Jieyi, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

The visit is set to succeed in enhancing mutual trust, deepening bilateral cooperation, broadening exchanges, seeking common development and promoting the long-term stable development of friendly relations and cooperation between China and Fiji, said Liu.

Fiji, which is a major player among the Pacific island countries, is also the first Pacific island country to have forged diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China in 1975.

In recent years, China and Fiji have witnessed stable development of bilateral ties, and the two countries see new opportunities to further promote their relationship, said Liu.

China and Fiji have been maintaining high-level exchanges and contacts and expanding fields of cooperation. The trade volume between China and Fiji stood at US$45.27 million in 2005, up by 16.9 percent from the previous year. There is also great potential for the two countries to cooperate in such areas as agriculture, fishery and forestry, said Liu.

During Premier Wen's stay in Fiji, he will hold talks with Fijian President Josefa Iloilo and his Fijian counterpart Laisenia Qarase. The leaders will exchange views on Sino-Fijian ties and other regional and international issues of mutual concern. They will also chart, in a comprehensive way, the future development of bilateral ties.

The two sides will sign a series of bilateral cooperation agreements covering trade and economy, economic and technological cooperation, quality inspection and telecommunications.

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2006 )