Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), arrived at noon Monday for an official and goodwill visit to Brunei at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam.

The visit is Li's first trip to Brunei and also the first visit to the sultanate by a chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress. It is another important visit to Brunei by a Chinese leader following Chinese President Jiang Zemin's state visit to Brunei in November 2000.

During his visit, Li will meet and hold official talks with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

The visit comes one week after Li met with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Beijing where the Sultan, together with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, officiated the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) High-Level Meeting on Human Capacity Building.

Brunei is the second leg of Li's three-nation Asian tour which has taken him to Cambodia and will take him to South Korea.

(Xinhua 05/21/2001)