President Hu to visit U.S. next year

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit the United States next year at the invitation of President Barack Obama, a joint statement said Tuesday.

Obama extended the invitation at a formal meeting with Hu in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, and Hu accepted it with pleasure, said the China-U.S. Joint Statement issued after the meeting.