A top Chinese official from the resource-rich Heilongjiang Province in the country's northeast will visit South Korea this week for a three-day stay focusing on bolstering bilateral trade and exchanges, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Wang Xiankui, the Communist Party Secretary of the province, will arrive here on Sunday on the invitation of the ministry. He will pay a courtesy call on South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and meet with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, the ministry said.

The ministry said that there is a great potential for cooperation with Heilongjiang Province in terms of business and trade. The province is also where a memorial hall to honor Ahn Jung-geun, a revered Korean independence fighter, is located.

"The possibility of exchanges and cooperation between Korea and the province -- China's strategically crucial center bordering Russia -- is substantial," the ministry said in a press release.

"His visit this time is expected to contribute to enhancing the substantive partnership between the two sides."

The invitation is part of Seoul's efforts to build ties with influential Chinese officials. Since 2005, Seoul has invited two or three Chinese provincial leaders each year. (Yonhap)