Chinese president leaves for state visits to Italy, Monaco, France

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping left Beijing Thursday for state visits to Italy, Monaco and France.

Xi was invited to pay the visits by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Head of State of the Principality of Monaco Albert II and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Xi's entourage includes his wife Peng Liyuan; Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi; and He Lifeng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Development and Reform Commission.