The Chinese government has no plan yet to receive visit from newly-appointed Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Thursday.

Liu made the remarks in response to a reporter's question on reports on Tuesday that al-Zahar said he was planning to tour East Asia, "starting with China", in late May.

Liu said the director of China's Office to the Palestinian National Authority Yang Weiguo called on al-Zahar on Tuesday, saying China is ready to further develop its traditional friendly ties with Palestine.

Yang also expressed the hope that the Palestinian new government would adopt "positive" steps to promote the peace process of the Middle East, Liu said.

Source: Xinhua