UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Beijing Tuesday afternoon, kicking off a three-day official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese government.

During Ban's stay, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao will meet with him respectively, and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will hold talks with him.

Ban is scheduled to deliver a speech at China Foreign Affairs University on Tuesday afternoon and visit the Beijing Ditan Hospital to see the HIV-infected patients on Wednesday.

He will also visit the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest as well as an exhibition center which displays scale models of Beijing's Olympic venues.

After China's May 12 earthquake, the UN chief visited the quake-hit Yingxiu town in Wenchuan County to extend his sympathy to the earthquake survivors on May 24.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2008)