President Truong Tan Sang will pay an official visit to China from June 19 to 21 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping.

This will be the first-ever visit made by President Sang as Head of State and the first state-level visit by a high-ranking Vietnamese leader to China since its change of leadership, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on June 13.

The President’s visit is of crucial importance to enhancing political trust and friendly cooperation between the two Parties and States.

It will set out the direction to add more depth to the two countries’ strategic partnership for each country’s development as well as for peace, stability and development in the region, he noted.

The Vietnamese State leader is scheduled to hold talks with President Xi Jinping, meet with other high-ranking Chinese leaders and visit Guangdong province.

The two sides are expected to ink a number of cooperation agreements and documents, the spokesperson added.

At the press briefing, the spokesman announced upcoming visits to Vietnam by first Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel, Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova.

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh will pay a working visit to Laos from June 14-16 to seek measures to enhance bilateral cooperation in building and upgrading border markers on the two countries’ borderline in 2014./.