At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Beijing Thursday morning, kicking off his state visit to China from March 17 to 19.

In Beijing, Aliyev will hold talks with Hu and meet with Premier Wen Jiabao. He will also visit Shanghai, China's economic hub.

Aliyev's companies include his wife and three ministers of foreign affairs, economic development, and sports, tourism and youth.

This is Aliyev's first state visit to China, who was elected President of Azerbaijan in October 2003.