Chinese president to visit Malaysia

Chinese president to visit Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): China's President Jiang Zemin will make his first visit to an ASEAN country when he stops by Malaysia next week, in another sign of warming economic ties between the two rapidly-developing countries, officials said yesterday.

Jiang is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 10 for a five-day visit to hold talks with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad before attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bogor, Indonesia on Nov. 15.

"Talks will be wide-ranging, covering bilateral, regional and international issues," said Kamil Jaafar, secretary general of Malaysia's foreign ministry.

This would be Jiang's first visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region that groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, Chinese embassy officials said.