Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on January 19 for state visits to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.

Xi is invited by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Xi's entourage includes Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2016)