Chinese president to attend nuclear summit, visit Europe

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is to attend the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) to be held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from March 24 to 25.

He will also pay state visits to the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium from March 22 to April 1, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang in a written statement on Friday.

President Xi is to attend the third NSS at the invitation of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Qin said.

Xi will visit the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium, at the invitation of Dutch King Willem-Alexander, French President Francois Hollande, German President Joachim Gauck and Belgian King Philippe, said the spokesman.

At the invitation of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, the Chinese president is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on March 27.

He will also visit the headquarters of the European Union from March 31 to April 1, as guest of European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, said the spokesman.

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