With his arrival in Hong Kong on Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao began his second visit to the southern Special Administrative Region since the handover ceremony ten years ago.

Here is a brief timeline of Chinese leaders' visits to Hong Kong since the handover on July 1, 1997 to the present day:

-- September, 1997: Premier Li Peng attended the 1997 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Hong Kong, forecasting a bright future for the metropolis.

-- November, 2000: Li Ruihuan, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made an inspection tour to Hong Kong during its economic downturn.

-- November, 2002: Premier Zhu Rongji attended the 16th World Congress of Accountants in Hong Kong, reiterating the central government's total support for the city.

-- June, 2003: Premier Wen Jiabao visited the metropolis during the SARS outbreak, reserving particular praise for members of the medical profession battling against the disease.

-- September, 2005: Vice President Zeng Qinghong attended the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Disneyland.

-- June, 2006: Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended a forum on cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao.

-- December, 2006: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, attended the opening ceremony of International Telecommunication Union Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong.

Source: Xinhua