Zemin to start tour of the Middle East next Wednesday

Chinese President Jiang Zemin is due to begin a tour of the Middle East on coming Wednesday by visiting Alexandria, Egypt, during which he will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to support cooperation between the two countries and Middle East issues.

A statement issued by the Chinese embassy in Cairo said that Zemin's tour will comprise Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, and that it comes to revitalize the Chinese role in the economic, political, cultural and social fields.