Abbas arrives in China for first visit as Palestinian leader

BEIJING - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas Tuesday arrived in Beijing for his first visit to China since taking over from the late Yasser Arafat, state media reported.
Abbas, who will be in China for two days, is scheduled to meet Wednesday with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, according to the Palestinian embassy in Beijing.
He flew in from Japan where he had secured a pledge from Tokyo to provide 100 million dollars in aid.
"Abbas will brief China on recent developments in the Middle East," foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a regular briefing.
"The two sides will also talk about mutually beneficial cooperation and sign agreements on economic cooperation," he said.
China established diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority in 1988.

05/17/2005 09:11 GMT