Chinese State and Party leader Hu Jintao has cut short his tour of Latin America in order to return home due to the earthquake which struck western China, officials confirmed Thursday.
A spokesman for the Brazilian presidency told the German Press Agency dpa said Hu would be flying back to China on Thursday, DPA reported.
The Chinese leader had been scheduled to attend the summit of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) set for Friday in Brazil, and then to travel on to Venezuela on Saturday.