BEIJING, March 16: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali will be the first foreign dignitary to visit China after transfer of power to the new Chinese leadership.

Sources in the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday that Mr Jamali would arrive in Beijing on March 24 on a three-day state visit to China.

He will be the first head of the government to be received by the Chinese leaders, after assuming the new responsibilities. This will be yet another manifestation of the exemplary relations of the two countries, the sources added.

The new Chinese government — with Hu Jintao, as President and Wen Jiabao as Prime Minister — will formally take over on March 17.

Diplomatic channels in Islamabad and Beijing are engaged in finalizing the engagements schedule of the prime minister’s visit. The formal announcement of the visit will be made within the next couple of days.—APP