President Xi leaves for APEC meeting, visits

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping left Beijing Thursday for state visits to Papua New Guinea, Brunei and the Philippines, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting at Papua New Guinea's capital city of Port Moresby.

During Xi's stay in Papua New Guinea, he will also meet with leaders from the Pacific island countries that have established diplomatic ties with China.

Xi was invited to pay the visits by Governor-General of Papua New Guinea Bob Dadae and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

He was invited to attend the APEC meeting by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

Xi's entourage includes Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi; and He Lifeng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Development and Reform Commission.