SINGAPORE -- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be on an eight-day visit to China starting from Thursday, local broadcaster Channel NewsAsia reported on Wednesday.

He will be delivering a keynote speech at the official opening of the China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, which has Singapore as the country of honour this year.

Several other ministers will be in the delegation too, including Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Grace Fu, and Senior Minister of State for National Development Lee Yi Shyan.

The annual event of China-ASEAN Expo is a crucial platform to further promote economic and trade ties between China and Southeast Asian countries.

The expo was initiated by former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during the 7th China-ASEAN Summit and was firstly held in 2004. It is usually held in Nanning of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The event helps promote trading in goods and services, investment cooperation, culture and tourism, particularly contributing to strengthening and developing the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.