A forum addressing the challenges and opportunities in bilateral trade and regional cooperation between China and Australia will be held June 28 and 29 at the Wuzhou Guest House, a press conference was told Friday.

Sponsored by China¡¯s commerce ministry and Australia¡¯s foreign affairs and trade authority, the forum will focus on Sino-Australian ties in the context of globalization, lessons learned from worldwide free trade agreements, obstacles and other issues facing the two countries in the process toward forming free trade agreements.

China and Australia began considering free trade agreements as early as in 2003. The two countries started talks in May 2005 with the fifth and latest round of talks being held in Beijing in last May.

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