Chinese president to visit Switzerland, attend WEF annual meeting

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Switzerland from Jan 15-18, at the invitation of the Federal Council of Switzerland, a foreign ministry spokesperson announced Tuesday in Beijing.

During the visit, Xi will attend the 47th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting on Jan 17, at the invitation of WEF founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab, said spokesman Lu Kang at a routine press briefing.

He will also visit the United Nations Office at Geneva and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the International Olympics Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne on Jan 18, at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, and the IOC President Thomas Bach.