President Hu Jintao left Beijing on Tuesday morning for Bishkek to pay the first-ever state visit to Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. While there, he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

After his three-day Kyrgyz trip, Hu will also observe the SCO joint anti-terrorism military drill in Russia on Aug. 17 and visit Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Aug. 18.

Hu's entourage includes Vice Premier Wu Yi; Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, State Councilor and Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan; Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi; Minister in charge of National Development and Reform Commission Ma Kai; Commerce Minister Bo Xilai; Director of the Policy Research Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wang Huning; Deputy Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee Ling Jihua; Director of the President's Office Chen Shiju and Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2007)