On the afternoon of April 18, 2006, at the invitation of President George W. Bush of the United States of America, King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco, President Olusegun Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President Mwai Kibaki of the Republic of Kenya, Chinese President Hu Jintao left Beijing by special plane for state visits to the abovementioned five nations.

Among those who accompanied President Hu on the visits were his wife Liu Yongqing, State Council Tang Jiaxuan, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Ma Kai, Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, Director of the Central Policy Research Center of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wang Huning, Deputy Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee Ling Jihua, Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Director Chen Shiju of the Office of President Hu Jintao.