BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister of Thailand Samak Sundaravej arrives Monday for a four-day official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

The visit, originally scheduled for mid-May, was postponed after a devastating earthquake hit China's Sichuan province on May12 and the Chinese government went all out for the disaster relief work.

Born on June 13, 1935 in Bangkok, Samak graduated with a law degree from the prestigious Thammasat University. He also got certificates from Chulalongkorn University and Bryant & Stratton College in the United States.

In 1968, Samak joined the Democrat Party. Afterwards he assumed successively the posts of deputy minister of agriculture and cooperatives, deputy minister of the interior, minister of the interior, minister of transport and governor of Bangkok.

In May 2007, he became the leader of the People's Power Party. He was elected prime minister on Jan. 28, 2008.