Trip hailed by US business community

The visit by Barack Obama, also the first since he took office, has been well received by US businesses in China who believe the official tour will bring them benefits.

"We welcome President Obama to China. We are pleased that the state of China-US relations remains strong," said the American Chamber of Commerce in China in a statement.

"Solid bilateral trade relations between the US and China are important to the business community. AmCham-China believes in ongoing dialogue," said the statement.