Some 400 Chinese investors will confer with their Thai counterparts next week in an attempt to boost investment of "no less than 20 billion Baht (589 million U.S. dollars) this year" between the two countries, local media reported Saturday.

The Chinese investors, of whom some 300 are outstanding members of business associations worldwide, will participate in a four-day meeting with Thai investors starting Sunday, which could lead to business synergy between the two groupings, the Thai News Agency quoted Thailand's Industry Minister Charnchai Chairungrueng as saying.

According to the schedule, a seminar will be held on Monday by Thailand's Board of Investment (BoI) Monday during which agency specialists will brief the group on the country's potential for investment in this region. And Chinese investors will visit some of Thailand's industrial estates on Tuesday.

The visit and talks follow BoI opened a new overseas office in Beijing on April 2, with more than 1,000 investors participating, and some 80 of them successfully closing business agreements with Thai investors, said Charnchai.

He said Chinese investors are keen to invest in plastic, processed foods, medical equipment, metals for construction and alternative energy.