SHANGHAI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- President of Cape Verde Pedro Pires arrived in Shanghai on Monday morning for the upcoming annual board meetings of the African Development Bank (ADB) Group.

    During Pires's five-day stay in Shanghai, he will meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

    The 2007 Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of ADB Group are scheduled to be held in Shanghai from May 16 to 17, at which Wen will deliver a speech.

    Pires will also attend some business seminars on the sidelines of the ADB board meetings, which are aimed at further tapping the potentials of cooperation between China and Africa.

    It will be the first time the annual board meetings of the ADB are held in Asia, and the second time outside Africa. In 2001, the bank's annual board meetings were held in Spain.

    Themed "African and Asia: Partners in Development", the meetings will focus on infrastructure development in Africa, regional integrity and poverty relief.

    About 2,000 people are expected to attend the meetings, including finance ministers and governors of the central banks of member states, representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other regional development finance organizations and non-governmental organizations.

    Founded in 1964, the ADB has 77 members from Africa, America, Europe and Asia. China became its member in 1985.