Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen from June 17 to 25, announced Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang Thursday.

It is Xi's first oversea trip since he assumed the post of vice president in March, according to Qin.

Xi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is to pay an official good-will visit to Norht Korea from June 17-19 at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and North Korean government.

During Xi's stay, North Korean leaders will meet with him, exchanging views on bilateral ties and other issues of common concern, including the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

"China is committed to developing good-neighborly cooperative ties with Norht Korea," Qin said, expressing that the visit could further step up the China-Norht Korea traditional friendship.

With regard to China-Norht Korea cooperation within the framework of the six-party talks, Qin said the two countries had kept sound contacts and cooperation in the multilateral nuclear talks. He added currently parties concerned were working closely to promote new progress out of the talks.

Besides Norht Korea, Xi is scheduled to pay official visits to Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen from June 19 to 25 at the invitations of the Mongolian government, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, the Crown Prince of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Yemeni Vice President Abdal-rab Mansur al-Hadii.

He will meet with leaders of the four nations, conferring on ways to further facilitate bilateral cooperation in various areas, as well as international and regional issues of common concern, Qin said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2008)