Today

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President Clinton arrives in Beijing on Friday evening. The following morning, the President will be welcomed with a brief ceremony outside the east entrance of the Great Hall of the People, adjacent to Tiananmen Square. The Great Hall of the People was built in 1959 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and is the seat of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC). After the arrival ceremony, the President holds a bilateral meeting and joint press appearance with President Jiang Zemin.
During the afternoon, the President holds a working lunch with Premier Zhu Rongji. In the evening, the President attends a state dinner in the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People. It is used to entertain visiting heads of state and can accommodate 5,000 guests. Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Bush have all dined there.

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