China Visit

Defense Secretary Robert Gates -- who recently visited China, Japan and North Korea -- and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are slated meet with President Obama in the Oval Office late this afternoon, a couple of hours before the president hosts a private dinner for China's president, Hu Jintao.

Tonight's dinner will be attended by the president, Clinton, White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Hu and two other Chinese officials, Donilon told reporters last week. Gates, who met with Hu last week in Beijing, is not slated to be there. This will be the eighth face-to-face meeting between Obama and Hu. The meal in the Old Family Dining Room at the White House will be an "unusually small dinner that we’ll have with President Hu, again reflecting the relationship that we are evolving, and the opportunity to have candid conversation in much less formal settings than you typically would see, frankly, in a meeting between the Chinese and the United States," Donilon said. Spouses will not attend, he noted.

On Wednesday morning, there will be an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn. This will be followed by a small bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and then an expanded bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room. After those meetings, the two presidents will meet for about 45 minutes with U.S. and Chinese business leaders and CEOs in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Then, Obama and Hu will hold a joint press conference. Next, Hu will attend a State Department luncheon hosted by Vice President Biden and Secretary Clinton. Hu is also slated to meet with House and Senate leaders Wednesday afternoon. That evening, the White House will hold a state dinner for Hu.

But expect to hear more from Hu the next day. He'll give a speech Thursday at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel during a luncheon held by the National Committee on United States-China Relations and the U.S.-China Business Council. After his speech, Hu is slated to fly to Chicago to attend various events.