Chinese President Hu Jintao left Beijing for London by special plane on April 1, 2009 to attend the G20 financial summit scheduled for April 1 to 2, at the invitation of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Hu's entourage includes Vice Premier Wang Qishan; Ling Jihua, member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Huning, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor Dai Bingguo; Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi; Minister of Finance Xie Xuren; Minister of Commerce Chen Deming; China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan; Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei; and Director of the President's Office Chen Shiju.