China's FM to visit Israel, Mideast nations, Russia

China said Thursday its foreign minister will embark on a four-nation Middle East tour later this month, as part of the Asian country's rising profile in the region. Yang Jiechi will travel to Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Syria, as well as Russia, Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular briefing. Yang will meet with officials and discuss bilateral and international issues during his weeklong tour starting Tuesday, Jiang said. She gave no further details.