(VOVworld) - The first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) opened in Beijing on Thursday. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Costa Rica President Luis Guillermo Solis, Ecuador President Rafael Correa Delgado, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro Moros, and Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie attended the opening ceremony of the two-day meeting at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing. In his opening speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping set the goal for bilateral trade between China and Latin American, and Caribbean countries: 500 billion USD in the next 10 years. He said China's direct investment in Latin America will hit 250 billion USD in the coming decade.