DANANG, Vietnam -- Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of China, arrived in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on Wednesday, kicking off a state visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

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From Danang, Hu will travel to Vietnamese capital Hanoi, where Hu and Vietnamese leaders will have an in-depth exchange of views on the relations between two countries and parties from a strategic perspective and overall concern, said a Chinese Foreign ministry official.

In Hanoi, the Chinese leader will also attend the 14th Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) scheduled for November 18-19.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry officials, on the sidelines of the meeting, Hu will meet a number of leaders of APEC members, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President George W. Bush.

Hu is expected to leave Hanoi Sunday to continue his four-nation trip, which will also take him to Laos, India and Pakistan.