SEATTLE, April 19 (UPI) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao began his second day of a state visit in Seattle Wednesday after promoting the 2008 Olympics and having dinner with Bill Gates.
The 63-year-old leader arrived in the United States Tuesday and had diplomatically light talks with Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and regional Chinese authorities, the Seattle Times reported.
Mindful of the U.S. trade deficit the Bush administration wants to reduce, Hu noted that Washington state exports to China "shot up 64 percent" last year, and said he was confident they would continue to grow.
He also toured Gates' Microsoft campus, where potted pine trees had been arranged to block out the view of various factions of protesters, the newspaper said.
Afterward, Hu dines at Gates' mansion, where Hu said he deals with Microsoft Windows every day. Gates then offered advice on the software any time the leader needed it.
Wednesday, Hu was set to meet with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Defense Secretary William Perry, tour the Boeing facility, and make a policy speech.
Thursday, his schedule has him talking with U.S. President George Bush in Washington.
