Chinese President Jiang Zemin left Beijing Monday morning to start a state visit to five countries including Germany, Libya, Nigeria, Tunisia and Iran.
Jiang pays the visit at the invitation of President Johnannes Rau of the Federal Republic of Germany, Colonel Omar Mouammer Al Gaddafi, leader of "September 1 Libya Revolution" of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Ben Ali of the Republic of Tunisia, President Seyyed Mohammad Khatemi of the Islamic Republic of Iran, respectively.
Among those who went to see him off at the Great Hall of the People were Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice-President Hu Jintao, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Jiang Chunyun, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Wannian, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zeng Qinghong, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Sun Fuling, Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee Wang Gang, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, as well as diplomatic envoys of the five countries.
Jiang's entourage includes his wife Wang Yeping, Vice-Premier Qian Qichen and Qian's wife Zhou Hanqiong, Minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission Zeng Peiyan, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng, Minister in charge of the Central Foreign Affairs Office Liu Huaqiu, Director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee Teng Wensheng and some other senior officials.
(China Daily April 8, 2002)
