Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping left here Sunday morning for official visits to Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Malta.

The visits will last to Feb. 22, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Xi was invited by Brazilian Vice President Jose Alencar as well as governments of the other five countries.

Xi's entourage included senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the Policy Research Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the China Development Bank.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2009)