Chinese president leaves for Vietnam, Singapore

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan left Beijing on Thursday morning for state visits to Vietnam and Singapore.

President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will pay a state visit to Vietnam from Nov. 5 to 6 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.

After the Vietnam trip, President Xi will pay a state visit to Singapore from Nov. 6 to 7 at the invitation of Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

Xi's entourage also includes Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor Yang Jiechi; and Wang Jiarui, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.