At the invitation of President of the Swiss Confederation Hans-Rudolf Merz, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao left Beijing by special plane on the morning of January 27 for official visits to the four European countries and the EU headquarters and to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Premier Wen Jiabao’s entourage included Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Chairman of the State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) Zhang Ping, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming, Director of Research Office of the State Council Xie Fuzhan, Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council and Director of the Premier's Office Qiu Xiaoxiong and Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Hongbo.