His visit will bypass France -- the source of the dispute after President Nicolas Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama in December -- although Beijing signalled last week it was ready to repair relations with Paris.

Wen will visit Switzerland, where he will attend the World Economic Forum at Davos, followed by stops in Germany, the EU headquarters in Brussels, Spain and Britain.

On the trip, Wen will discuss the worsening state of the world economy with European leaders.

"Wen's visit to Europe aims to renew diplomatic ties with the European Union, a major economic player," said Valerie Niquet, director of Paris-based research organisation Centre Asie Ifri.

"In this time of crisis... the European market is essential for Beijing."

The trip will be the first since China postponed a planned summit with the European Union scheduled for December 1 in protest at Sarkozy's decision to meet the Dalai Lama -- Tibet's exiled spiritual leader -- in Poland.

China opposes any foreign leaders meeting the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of trying to seek independence from Chinese rule for his Himalayan homeland. At the time, France held the rotating presidency of the EU.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan, political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, said Wen would have to "market" his country during his trip.

"He will have to show that China is doing well, that it is a source of growth, and that other countries -- and especially big international companies -- should continue to be interested in China," he said.

The Asian giant has been hit hard by the financial crisis, with its growth in 2008 slowing to 9.0 percent from 13 percent the year before, unemployment rising fast, and exports declining.

Wen will take with him a large business delegation including China's ministers in charge of commerce, finance and environmental issues, with documents to be signed in the fields of the economy, trade, investment, energy, science, and technology.

European sources said the documents would include specific agreements on the drug and civil aviation sectors, as well as counterfeiting.

Wen will deliver a speech at the Davos summit on Wednesday.

Wu Hongbo, assistant foreign minister, told reporters last week that Wen would issue a joint statement with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on how to cope with the financial crisis.

The trip also comes at a time when "the Chinese leadership is wondering about the future direction of the new US administration," Niquet said.

Relations between China and the United States took a hit last week when US treasury secretary-designate Timothy Geithner accused China of manipulating its currency, a claim fiercely rejected by the country's commerce ministry Friday.

Wu last week said China was willing to work with the EU to reinstate the summit it postponed in December.

"We stand ready to communicate with the European side to decide on the venue and time of the next EU-China summit," he said.

He also said China was ready to mend ties with France in the country's first conciliatory move since tensions flared in December, but maintained it was up to Paris to take the first step.

"We are ready to work with France to improve our bilateral relations. This is in the interest of the two countries and their people," he said.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News