News In Brief

China plans a formal visit to the Soviet Union

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that Deputy Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, its top Soviet expert, will travel to the Soviet Union this summer. The trip, which also calls for stops in Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, was a possible indication that Peking and Moscow don't want their uneasy relations to deteriorate further.

Last month, the Soviets abruptly canceled a visit to China by Vice-Premier Ivan Arkhipov the day before he was to arrive. It would have been the highest-level mission from Moscow since 1969.