Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday that Bashir is making the June 27-30 visit at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao. Hong said Bashir will meet with Hu and other Chinese leaders and that talks would seek to promote peace in Sudan.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Bashir for allegedly orchestrating atrocities in the Darfur region of the country. However, China is not a member of the ICC and in 2008 expressed concerns that the court's indictment of Bashir could cause further instability in the region.

Bashir has previously traveled without arrest to several friendly nations, including ICC treaty signatories Chad and Kenya.