A mountainous landlocked country in southern Africa and surrounded by South Africa on all sides, the Kingdom of Lesotho covers an area of 30,000 square km and has a population of 1.81 million. The majority of the religious population is Protestant and Catholic. English is the official language. Maseru is the national capital. The king is Letsie ��. The current prime minister is Pakalitha Mosisili.

Since China and Lesotho restored diplomatic relations on Jan. 12, 1994, bilateral relations have been growing smoothly and bilateral cooperation in all areas has been expanding steadily. Prime Minister Mosisili visited China in 2001 and 2005. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing visited Lesotho in 2006. Lesotho has become a destination country for Chinese citizens and tourist groups. Bilateral trade reached 56.15 million U.S. dollars in 2005.