The high-level conference will be staged under the theme: ‘Promoting Cooperation and Common Development', and is being co-sponsored by the governments of Jamaica and the People's Republic of China.

During a press conference heralding the event, Mr Miller encouraged businesses in the jurisdiction to bypass the “middlemen” in the United States, and network for shipping purposes directly with China.

"There is no reason why we can't buy directly from the Chinese manufacturers, instead of going through the brokerage houses in Miami," he observed.

Businessman Franklyn Wilson, of the Bahamas Chapter of World President's Organisation, agreed with the minister, commenting:

"So much of what we import into The Bahamas, we import from America and more often than not, we do so from South Florida. The truth of the matter is, virtually nothing we buy from South Florida is made in South Florida or even in the United States to an increasing degree, they are buying from China."

The agreement was also welcomed by the Chargè d' affaires of the Chinese Embassy, Boheng Ni, who suggested that the forum will become “another milestone” in sino-Caribbean relations.

"I believe that there is still great potential in bilateral trade cooperation, as China is the largest developing country, and The Bahamas is a wealthy country and encouraging diversification in its economy," observed Ni.