UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday that the UN is encouraged by the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) this week.

"We're very encouraged by that," said Haq at a daily briefing.

Haq added that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to meet Xi at the Geneva office and discuss with him "a range of issues of mutual concern."

Xi arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for a state visit to the Alpine country.

He is also scheduled to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the ski resort of Davos, and visit the UNOG, the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee.

Housed at the Palace of Nations, the UNOG is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations.