Jiang and his wife Wang Yeping were greeted at the airport by Ellington Field Base Commander Steve Jones and Houston Mayor Lee P.Brown, who gave Jiang the key of the city, a symbol of friendship.

When Jiang arrived at the gate of the hotel where he would stay,he was warmly received by former US President George Bush.

Also arriving aboard the same plane from Chicago, the first leg of the Chinese president's US visit, was Vice-Premier Qian Qichen.

During the visit, Jiang will tour the Johnson Space Center in Houston and deliver a speech at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas A&M University.

Following his US visit, Jiang will proceed to attend the 10th Informal Leaders' Meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Los Cabos, Mexico from Oct. 26 to 27.

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2002)