BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), Nong Duc Manh, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday at the start of a five-day official goodwill visit to China.

    This is the first overseas visit by Manh since he was re-elected as general secretary in April and his third visit since he was first elected in 2001.

    Manh is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Hu Jintao, who invited him, and meet with other party and state leaders.

    They are expected to discuss issues of common concern, especially the promotion of friendly ties and cooperation.

    Manh, who is accompanied by senior party and state officials, said the the visit would promote the further development of ties.

    In recent years, the two countries have had frequent high-level exchanges, said Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hu Qianwen on Monday.

    Bilateral relations have developed smoothly with leaders' meetings and China has been Vietnam's biggest trade partner since 2004, with trade exceeding eight billion U.S. dollars in 2005.

    The two sides were expecting to fulfill the annual trade target of 10 billion U.S. dollars this year ahead of the 2010 schedule. Enditem