Vice President Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong from July 6 to 8 at the invitation of the SAR government, it was announced Friday.

During his three-day visit, Xi will discuss the progress of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events and will see the latest developments of Hong Kong, the SAR government announced.

Xi will inspect venues of the equestrian events and receive reports from relevant parties.

The SAR government and the central government are working out the details of Xi's visit.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Xi's visit is an honor to Hong Kong.

"In the run-up to the Olympic Games, we are greatly honored by the presence of our State Leader to offer us encouragement and guidance on the preparatory work for the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events. On behalf of the people of Hong Kong and the SAR government, I extend our warmest welcome and deepest gratitude to him," he said.

Xi had earlier expressed his gratitude for Hong Kong's support of the Olympic Games on a visit to Doha, Qatar.

"We are deeply gratified to see the active participation of the compatriots of Hong Kong in the organization of the Olympic Games. We are very thankful to that," he said.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong chairman Tam Yiu-chung did not know whether he will meet with Xi during his stay here.

He expressed his hope for a discussion with Xi on economic cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland, and changes that Hong Kong might have to go through after the implementation of direct links between the mainland and Taiwan.

"I hope to discuss with Xi on challenges faced by Hong Kong and his views on how we can tackle them," he said.

(HK Edition 06/28/2008 page1)