Chinese President Hu Jintao left Beijing Tuesday afternoon for a state visit to the United States.

As a guest of U.S. President Barack Obama, Hu will be in the United States from Tuesday to Friday.

During his four-day trip, Hu is to hold talks with Obama and attend a welcome ceremony and a state dinner in Washington. Hu is also scheduled to meet with some U.S. Congress members and other groups.

Hu will also visit the midwestern city of Chicago.

"China and the United States should act in the fundamental interests of our two peoples and uphold the overall interests of world peace and development," Hu said in a written interview with the U.S. press prior to the visit.

"We should rise up to challenges, remove disturbances, work for shared goals and promote continuous growth of our relations," Hu said.

U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman has said Hu's state visit was "a very exciting and historic time in the U.S.-China relationship".

Hu's entourage includes Vice Premier Wang Qishan; Ling Jihua, member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Huning, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor Dai Bingguo; Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi; Minister in charge of of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Zhang Ping; Finance Minister Xie Xuren; Commerce Minister Chen Deming; Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai; director of the President's Office Chen Shiju.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2011)