BEIJING - International and China trade and commerce groups will jointly hold a forum on the Belt and Road Initiative on April 12.

The Belt and Road trade and investment forum will held in Beijing and is expected to attract more than 600 participants from 70 Belt and Road countries and regions, Yu Jianlong, secretary-general of China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), told a press conference Thursday.

The forum will be jointly held by the World Chambers Federation, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and CCOIC.

It will cover topics including investment opportunities along the Belt and Road, trade and e-commerce, infrastructure construction and enhancing connectivity, as well as risk prevention and dispute settlement, according to Yu.

In 2017, trade volume between China and countries along the Belt and Road amounted to 7.4 trillion yuan (about $1.2 trillion), surging 17.8 percent year on year, outpacing the 14.2-percent increase in China's total foreign trade last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.