Chinese President Hu Jintao is to tour a manufacturing plant of the aviation giant Boeing today (Wednesday) as part of his four-day visit to the United States. His visit to the plant in the northwestern state of Washington comes days after Beijing announced a deal to purchase 80 Boeing jets valued at around five-billion dollars. Mr. Hu arrived in Washington state Tuesday and toured the headquarters of U.S. computer software giant Microsoft with company founder Bill Gates.
Hu Jintao travels to Washington D.C. later today, and meets Thursday with President Bush at the White House. Those talks are expected to focus on U.S. demands that China reform its currency, China's human rights record, trade, and the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran.