Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Monday morning left Bangkok for an official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Samak departed from the Don Muang 6th Military Airport in the morning aboard a special Thai Air Force plane flying direct to Beijing.

The visit, originally scheduled in mid-May, was postponed after a severe earthquake hit China's Sichuan Province on May 12 and the Chinese government went all out for the disaster relief.

After the official visit in China from June 30 to July 3, Samak will travel on to Brunei.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2008)