President Hu Jintao will pay state visits to the US, Canada and Mexico, and attend the UN summit marking the 60th anniversary of its founding from September 5 to 17, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan Thursday.

Hu will visit the three nations at the invitation of US President George W. Bush, Canadian Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson and Mexican President Vicente Fox, said Kong.

In another development, the spokesperson said China is pleased with Israel's just completed withdrawal from Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.

The Israeli pullout is an "important step" toward the settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict, he said.

"China hopes Israel and Palestine will take this as a chance to resume peace talks based on the Middle East roadmap as soon as possible," he said.

Israel began the pullout operation at the midnight of August 15 and completed the evacuation Tuesday, putting an end to the whole pullout process.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2005)