French President Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived in China for a three-day state visit.

He arrived in Xi’an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Wednesday morning. And then flew onto Beijing. That's where Chinese President Hu Jintao held a welcoming ceremony for him.

The two leaders held discussions on how to further improve the China-France strategic partnership, as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern. President Sarkozy is due to attend the official opening ceremony of Shanghai's world expo on Friday.