Premier Li leaves for Africa tour

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday morning left Beijing for visits to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya.

This is the first time for the premier to visit Africa since taking office in 2013. His entourage includes his wife Cheng Hong.

Li was invited by Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn, President of Nigeria Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President of Angola Jose Eduardo dos Santos and President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta.

During his stay in Ethiopia, Li will also visit the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa at the invitation of AU rotating Chairperson Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, also president of Mauritania, and Chairperson of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

While visiting Nigeria, the premier will also attend the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa to be held in Abuja, capital of Nigeria.

Li's wife Cheng Hong is an English professor at the Beijing-based Capital University of Economics and Business. Cheng graduated from college in 1982 and met Li while studying at Peking University. The couple has one daughter.