NPC Chairman Leaves for European, Asian Tour

Li Peng, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, left Beijing Sunday morning by a special plane to start an official good-will visit to six European and Asian countries.

The six countries are the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Croatia, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.

Li is invited by the parliaments and governments of the those countries.

During the visit, Li will confer with leaders of governments and parliaments of these countries to promote the healthy development of relations between China and the six countries.

Li's entourage includes his wife Zhu Lin; Jiang Chunyun, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee; Gao Dezhan, member of the NPC Standing Committee and chairman of the NPC Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee; Xie Shijie, chairman of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee; Ren Keli, chairman of the Henan Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee; Li Laizhu and Nie Dajiang, members of the NPC Standing Committee; Lu Congmin, deputy secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee; Yang Wenchang, vice foreign minister; and Wu Wenchang, director of the NPC Chairman's Office.

Those who saw Li and his party off at the Great Hall of the People include Tian Jiyun, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee; Luo Gan, state councilor; He Chunlin, secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee; Bai Keming, deputy director of the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China; Jiang Yunbao and Shi Jincheng, deputy secretaries-general of the NPC Standing Committee; Wang Guangya, vice foreign minister, and Beijing-based diplomatic envoys of the six countries.



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