San Jose, Costa Rica - Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to visit Costa Rica beginning Sunday, as part of the first visit by a Chinese leader travels to Central America.

"It will be a historic visit," a Costa Rican Foreign Ministry official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The trip is part of a five-nation trip by Hu to the United States, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Greece that will include attendance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 

San Jose, Costa Rica - Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to visit Costa Rica beginning Sunday, in the first visit by a Chinese leader travels to Central America.

"It will be a historic visit," a Costa Rican Foreign Ministry official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Central America has traditionally favoured Taiwan, but Costa Rica switched recognition to China in June 2007, after 63 years of ties with Taipei. Only 23 countries recognize Taiwan, and half of them are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Beijing, Nov. 11: The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday expressed regret over Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s statement that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

"We deeply regret the Indian side''s remarks that take no regard of the historical facts. China and India have never officially settled demarcation of borders, and China''s stance on the eastern section of China-India borders is consistent and clear-cut," spokesman Qin Gang said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Shanghai - Juan Del Potro kept his hopes alive for an extended stay at the M

Beijing - China on Tuesday confirmed that Thai former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had visited the country recently but declined to elaborate as state media said he was already on his way out of China on Monday.

"Mr Thaksin was in China on vacation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters. "I don't have any further information on that."

The official China Daily newspaper said it had spoken to Thaksin by telephone while he was in Beijing.

"I will keep travelling," the newspaper quoted him as saying on Monday. "I'm leaving Beijing at the moment."

Beijing - China on Tuesday expressed anger at Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that a disputed Himalayan border region was an "integral part of India."

"We deeply regret the Indian side's remarks, which take no regard of the historical facts," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said after Mukherjee's weekend visit to the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.