Hu at Bill's gates

Four years after his last visit, Hu Jintao, the 63-year old President of the People's Republic of China, is back in America. He comes as the leader of one of the world's fastest-rising nations, one the US is compelled to take seriously on all fronts.

Hu, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, was named party chief in late 2002, succeeding Jiang Zemin in the Fourth Generation Leadership. He is said to have a moderate stance on media censorship, has pursued free-market policies, and has been responsible for broadening China's contacts worldwide.

Image: Chinese President Hu Jintao (left) jokes with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates (right) and CEO Steve Ballmer (centre) during a visit to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington state.

Text: rediff News Bureau | Photograph: Andy Clark/AFP/Getty Images

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