New York, Dec 08: Chinese premier Wen Jiabao arrived in New York yesterday for an official visit to the United States, with tensions over Taiwan and bilateral trade disputes likely to top the agenda. Wen's visit is part of a four-nation tour which will also take him to Canada, Mexico and Ethiopia. On the three-day US leg Wen will visit New York, Washington and Boston, diplomatic Chinese sources said.

US President George W Bush will welcome wen in the White House tomorrow, with both sides hoping common interests on issues like North Korea will trump gaping divisions over the nationalist island, weapons proliferation and trade.

What appeared a few weeks ago to be a smooth meeting turned on its head Friday when Taiwan's President Chen Shui-Bian announced he decided to hold a referendum critical of China's missile threat to the island -- which Beijing views as a renegade province -- next March. Washington has yet to publicly condemn Chen's decision.

Beijing has condemned the referendum as one step closer to the plebiscite on independence it has warned could trigger an invasion to reunify Taiwan with the mainland.

Bureau Report