Tongan King starts China visit

SANYA, April 9 (Xinhua) - Tongan King Taufa'ahau Tupou V arrived in China's southernmost city of Sanya on Wednesday evening, kicking off a seven-day state visit as a guest of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

It is Tupou V's first state visit to China since he succeeded to the throne in September 2006.

He is due to hold official talks with Hu and exchange views on international and regional issues of common concern. They will also confer on advancing China-Tonga relations.

Tupou V is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Saturday in Boao, south China's Hainan Province.

The annual meeting, with the theme "Green Asia: Moving Towards Win-Win Through Changes", will focus on environment-related talks to build a sustainable Asia.

The BFA was established in 2001 as a platform for high-level interaction between leaders from Asia and the world.