On June 18, 2011, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Ukraine, kicking off his state visit to the country.

At about 11:00 local time, Hu's special plane arrived at Simferopol Airport, where President Hu and his wife Liu Yongqing were warmly greeted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Gryshchenko. President Hu then traveled to Yalta by car.

In a statement released upon his arrival at the airport, Hu noted that China and Ukraine are good friends and partners whose people share well-founded friendship. The Chinese leader said the two countries have seen healthy and steady growth of bilateral relations since they established diplomatic ties 19 years ago. Hu said China and Ukraine have achieved remarkable results in cooperation in the areas of politics, trade, economy and culture and that the two sides have lent support to each other on major issues of mutual concern and cooperated closely on regional and international affairs. The two countries have jointly made positive contributions to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world as a whole, he added. "Now, the China-Ukraine relations are facing major opportunities for further growth," he added. "We are ready to work with the Ukrainian side to enhance political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, promote cultural exchanges and continuously consolidate the foundation of bilateral relations so as to make greater contribution to improving well-being of the two peoples," Hu said.

During the visit, Hu will exchange views with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Volodymyr Lytvyn, chairman of Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) and Prime Minister Mikola Azarov. The two sides will comprehensively review the development achievements of bilateral ties since the establishment of diplomatic ties 19 years ago and make planning for the development of bilateral ties in the next stage. Both sides will also exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern. Hu believed that this visit will help enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust, and lift China-Ukraine relations to a higher level.

Ling Jihua, Wang Huning, Dai Bingguo and other accompanying officials arrived by the same plane.

Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Zhang Xiyun also greeted Hu at the airport.

Hu flew into Simferopol from Russia's St. Petersburg after paying a state visit to Russia and attending the 15th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.