Hu at Bill's gates

Apart from the Microsoft campus, the Chinese leader will also tour Boeing and the policy-making establishment in Washington. He is also to speak on international policy at Yale University.

It's all drastically different from his last trip to the US, where his itinerary involved little other than private meetings.

One of the reasons for this change may be China's shifting foreign policy. Things under Hu are a lot different from the way they were under his predecessor. Things aren't as US-centered, for one. Secondly, China has emerged as the world's third-largest trader. Thirdly, China's presence has increased in Africa and Latin America. Fourthly, it has also gained access to oil.

Image: Hu Jintao embraces an unidentified young girl after writing Chinese characters on the girl's computer tablet during his visit to Microsoft headquarters.

Photograph: Andy Clark/AFP/Getty Images

Also See: Nikhil Lakshman's diary on China