【Date of establishment】In August 5-7, 1971, at New Zealand's suggestion, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Nauru, Cook Islands and Australia convened a seven-party South Pacific conference in Wellington, capital of New Zealand, formally establishing "the South Pacific Forum" .The conference decided to call a meeting every year.In October 2000, it was re-named as "the Pacific Islands Forum".

【Purposes】It is aimed to strengthen cooperation and coordination in such fields as trade, economic development, aviation, marine transport, telecommunication, energy, tourism and education in the South Pacific countries (or areas) and on other questions of common concern.In recent years, the Forum has gradually developed into a regional organization for coordinating external policies and strengthening regional cooperation.

【Membership】Sixteen member countries (or areas): Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Palau, Cook Islands, and Niue.Two observers:New CaledoniaandEast Timor.

【Principal leading personnel】The Secretary General of the Forum is Noel Levi.He was elected in September 1997 and assumed the post in January 1998, and was re-elected in January 2001.The Deputy Secretary General is Iosefa Maiava, who took office in December 1998.

【Headquarters】The Secretariat of the Forum is in Suva, Capital of Fiji.

【Website】www.forumsec.org.fj

【Publications】"Annual Report" and "SPEC Activities". Both are monthly in English.

【Organizational Set-up】In 1972,it set up a permanent institution –the South Pacific Economic Cooperation (SPEC).In 1988, it changed its name as the Secretariat of the South Pacific Forum.The Secretariat has a Secretary General, elected by ballot by representatives of government of Forum members.The Secretary General is accountable to the Forum members.The Secretariat has a deputy Secretary General recruited by contract, to assist the Secretary General in his work.The Secretariat has, under it, four departments, namely the Department for the Political, International and Legal Affairs, the Department of Trade and Investment, the Department of Development and Economic Policy, and the Department of Coordination and Services, and each department has a director.The head office of the Forum Secretariat has about 70 officials and staffs.It has trade commissioner's offices inSydneyandAuckland, and the Pacific Islands Centre inTokyo.In 2002, it formally set up inBeijingthe Trade Representative Office inChinaand it plans to set up a trade representative office inGenevawithin 2003.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Island Countries Forum and other 9 relatively independent organizations have joined to form the Council of the Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP), with the Secretary General of the Forum serving as its president.Those nine organizations are: the Fiji School of Medicine (FSchM), the Forum Fishery Agency (FFA), the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP), the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA), the South Pacific regional Environments Program (SPREP), the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), The South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) and the University of South Pacific (USP).

One third each of the financial revenue for the budget comes from payment byAustraliaandNew Zealand, and the rest is borne by members of the island countries.It also accepts financial assistance from dialogue partners and some of countries, regions and international organizations.

【Main activities】

ForumSummitMeetingThe Forum usually convenes a meeting of heads of government every year.It is held in a member country or area in rotation.Since its establishment, the Forum has held 33 meetings of heads of government (in 1972, two meetings were held).

In October 2000, the 31stMeeting of Heads of Government was held inKiribati.The meeting adopted the Biketawa Declaration, providing for the mechanism and guiding principles for resolving crisis arising in the island countries in the South Pacific.

In August 2001, the 32nd Meeting of Heads of Government was held inNauru.The meeting adopted the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) and the Pacific Island Countries' Free Trade Agreement (PICTA) which concerned regional arrangements for free trade and economic cooperation, and decided to establish the South Pacific Free Trade Area in phases.The meeting decided to convene the Pacific Islands Countries Forum – Japan Leaders Meeting (PALM) in 2003. The meeting appealed to countries concerned to approve and implement the Kyoto Protocol as soon as possible.

In August 2002, the 33rdMeeting of the Heads of Government of the Forum was held inFiji, adopting the Nasonini Declaration concerning regional security.The meeting decided to discuss questions of good governance including the Regional Leadership Code in the Forum's summit meeting in the following year.The meeting reiterated the hope that the countries concerned would implement the Kyoto Protocol and appealed to the member countries to send senior representatives to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).The meeting urged countries in the region to approve as soon as possible the PICTA (coming into effect onApril 13, 2003) and the PACER (coming into effect onOctober 3, 2002).The meeting agreed to acceptIndiaas a Forum's dialogue partner and theEast Timoras an observer.

The dialogue meeting after the Forum meetingThe Forum decided to inviteChina, theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom,France,JapanandCanadato attend the dialogue meeting after the Forum's summit meeting starting from 1989.In 1991, the European Union was added, and in 1995, theRepublicofKoreawas added.In June 1995,Franceannounced to resume nuclear tests in theFrenchPolynesianIslands.The 26thForum's Summit Meeting disqualifiedFrancefrom being a dialogue partner.OnSeptember 5, 1996,Franceannounced to stop nuclear tests in the South Pacific Region permanently.The 27thForum's Summit Meeting resumedFrance's qualification as a dialogue partner.In 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2002, the Forum successively acceptedMalaysia, thePhilippines,IndonesiaandIndiaas dialogue partners.At present, the Forum has a total of 12 dialogue partners.

Forum's Economic Ministers' ConferenceIn order to coordinate and support economic reforms among members, the Forum has, beginning from 1997, convened an Economic Ministers' Conference before the summit meeting every year.

Forum's Trade Ministers' ConferenceIn order to coordinate and promote the liberalization of the regional trade, the Forum has, beginning from 1999, convened a Trade Ministers' Conference before the summit meeting every year.In June 2001, the Forum's trade ministers talks worked out the PACER and the PICTA for establishing a South Pacific Free Trade Area in stages, and submitted them to the Forum'sSummitheld that year for discussion and approval

【Relations with China】In February 1988, Xu Mingyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji, attended, on invitation, the symposium on building up dialogue relations held in Suva by the Forum's Regional Organizations Coordinating Committee.Beginning from 1990,Chinahas sent government representatives for 13 times running to attend dialogue meetings after the second to fourteenth Pacific Islands Forum Meetings, strengthening the cooperative ties betweenChinaand the Forum organization and its member countries.At those meetings, China has expounded its policy towards the South Pacific region, promising to take the principles of "mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, opening to each other, common prosperity and reaching unanimity through consultation" as the fundamental policy for developing its friendly and cooperative relations with the Asian-Pacific countries including the South Pacific countries.This stand has been appreciated by the member countries of the Forum.In July 1996, during his visit toFiji, Qian Qichen, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister, met with Ieremia Tabai, Secretary General of the Forum.In October 2000, Yang Jiechi, Vice Foreign Minister, attended the dialogue meeting after the Forum meeting inKiribatiand met with Noel Levi, Secretary General of the Forum.In August 2001 and in August 2002, Zhou Wenzhong, Assistant Foreign Minister attended the dialogue meetings after Forum meetings respectively in Nauru and Fiji and met with Noel Levi, Secretary General of the Forum.

In April 1991, Henry Naisali, Secretary General of Forum, visitedChina.In September 1992, Ieremia Tabai, Secretary General of the Forum, visitedChina.In March 1994, William Sutherland, Deputy Secretary General of the Forum, visitedChina.In July 1997, Tony Slatyre, Deputy Secretary General of the Forum, visited.In May 1999, Noel Levi, Secretary General of the Forum, visitedChina.In October 2001, Noel Levi, Secretary General of the Forum, led an observer delegation to attend the APEC Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade held inShanghai.

In September 2002, Noel Levi, Secretary General of the Forum, visitedChinaand, together with Zhou Wenzhong, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, attended the inaugural ceremony of the Trade Representative Office of the Forum inChina. During his stay in Beijing, Qian Qichen, Vice Premier of the State Council, Du Qinglin, Minister of Agriculture, Sun Jiazheng, Minister of Culture, Xie Xuren, Vice Minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission, Sun Gang, Deputy Director of the National Tourism Administration, Zhou Wenzhong, Assistant Foreign Minister, Chen Jian, Assistant Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and Tian Jin, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, met or talked with him respectively.In the same month, the 6thAnnual Meeting of Directors of Investment Bureaus of the Forum (HIPA) was also held inBeijing.The leading personnel of Investment bureaus from 13 island countries attended the meeting and before the meeting they had proceeded toAmoyto attend the China International Economic and Trade Talks (theAmoytalks).This was the first time an annual meeting of Directors of Investment Bureaus of the Forum was held outside the Forum member countries.

In October 2000, Yang Jiechi, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the representative of the Chinese Government, exchanged letters with Noel Levi, Secretary General of the Forum, to the effect that the Chinese Government donated money to establish a China-Forum Cooperation Fund, to be used for promoting cooperation between the two sides in the fields of trade, investment, etc.Since the establishment of the fund, it has been used thus far for financing such projects as the Trade Representative Office of the Forum inChina, the Annual Meeting of Directors of Investment Bureaus of the Forum, and the replacement of the information storage system of the Forum Secretariat, having achieved good results.

【Representative body in China】The Trade Representative Office of the Forum of Pacific Island Countries in China.It was formally established onSeptember 11, 2002.It is aimed "to create more opportunities for the Pacific island countries andChina", and its main work is to promote the cooperation between the Pacific island countries andChinain trade, investment and tourism.Its main activities since the establishment of the trade Representative Office up to the present include: the convening of the 6thAnnual Meeting of Directors of Investment Bureaus of the Forum in both Beijing and Amoy, visits to more than ten provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government in China, the activities to invite outside investment by most of Forum members, and the holding in Beijing at irregular intervals briefings for inviting outside investment for island countries called "the Pacific Club", etc.Trade representative: Rohan Ellis, a Cook Islander, who arrived inBeijingin January 2002 and took office.The address of the Trade Representative Office:Building 5 of Tayuan Foreign Personnel Apartment House,Beijing, at No. 1, Floor 3, Unit 1.Telephone No,: 65326622. E-mail:answers@pifto.org.cnHomepage of the website: www.pifto.org.cn