China announced it will hold an international forum on free trade zone (FTZ) development in its southern island province of Hainan, according to China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

The two-day forum will debut on May 21, and around 800 government officials, business representatives and experts worldwide will take part in the event, according to the CCPIT.

Topics including higher-level opening-up, better business environments and opportunities of cooperation in FTZs under the Belt and Road Initiative will be fully discussed, said the CCPIT.

The meeting is to be held amid profound adjustment of the world economy, as the uprising protectionism and unilateralism greatly strike the free trade system and multilateralism, the council said.