Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Senegal on Feb. 13-14, during which the two countries will sign new agreements on economic and technical cooperation, the Chinese ambassador in the West African country announced in Dakar on Thursday.

At the invitation of his Senegalese counterpart Abdoulaye Wade, President Hu will make the visit to further enhance the friendly ties between the two countries since diplomatic relations were resumed in October 2005, Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye told a press conference.

The visit is part of the Chinese president's five-nation trip on Feb. 10-17, which will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Mali, Tanzania and Mauritius.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Hu's visit is aimed at further consolidating China's friendship and cooperation with these countries, strengthening China's cooperation with the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and promoting the implementation of the measures announced at the 2006 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2009)