HONG KONG -- Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived here by special plane at 11:32 a.m. Friday to attend the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China and the swearing-in ceremony of the third-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Hu, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and his wife Liu Yongqing flew into Hong Kong from Beijing.

Hu was accompanied by Wang Gang, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Sheng Huaren, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC); Tang Jiaxuan, state councilor; Liao Hui, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council; and Liang Guanglie, member of the Central Military Commission and chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen mounted the special plane to welcome Hu Jintao and his wife.

Hu told reporters at the airport that "the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China is a happy event for Hong Kong and for the whole country as well."

Hu and his entourage were greeted at the airport by HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang's wife Selina Tsang, Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael Hui Si-yan; Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen; Secretary for Justice Wong Yan Lung; President of the Legislative Council Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai; and Leung Chun-ying, convenor of the non-official members of the Executive Council.

Timeline of Chinese leaders' visits

With his arrival in Hong Kong on Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao began his second visit to the southern Special Administrative Region since the handover ceremony ten years ago.

Here is a brief timeline of Chinese leaders' visits to Hong Kong since the handover on July 1, 1997 to the present day:

-- September, 1997: Premier Li Peng attended the 1997 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Hong Kong, forecasting a bright future for the metropolis.

-- November, 2000: Li Ruihuan, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made an inspection tour to Hong Kong during its economic downturn.

-- November, 2002: Premier Zhu Rongji attended the 16th World Congress of Accountants in Hong Kong, reiterating the central government's total support for the city.

-- June, 2003: Premier Wen Jiabao visited the metropolis during the SARS outbreak, reserving particular praise for members of the medical profession battling against the disease.

-- September, 2005: Vice President Zeng Qinghong attended the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Disneyland.

-- June, 2006: Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended a forum on cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao.

-- December, 2006: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, attended the opening ceremony of International Telecommunication Union Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong.