Jiang visits Laos, Cambodia, Brunei

Jiang visits Laos, Cambodia, Brunei

BEIJING (AP): Chinese President Jiang Zemin will visit Laos and Cambodia in November on his way to Brunei to attend a meeting of leaders of Pacific rim economies, the Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Jiang will visit Laos on Nov. 11, then Cambodia two days later before heading to Brunei on Nov. 15-16 for a summit of members of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Jiang will conduct a formal state visit to Brunei following the summit, Zhu said.

The visits, the first ever to those countries by Jiang as China's president, are aimed at "strengthening friendly and good neighborly relations" and deepening economic ties and trade, Zhu said.