Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command Timothy Keating arrived in Beijing on Thursday afternoon for his first China visit since taking office.

During his stay in Beijing, Keating will meet with senior Chinese generals and officials, including Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, China's top military institution.

The five-day visit will also take Keating to Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province where Keating is scheduled to visit military institutions and bases.

Also on Thursday, a delegation from the U.S. National Defense University Capstone Program, headed by retired general William Nyland, visited Beijing and met with Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Zhang Li.

The 19-member delegation will also tour Chongqing in southwest China and Nanchang in east China.

Keating took the helm of the U.S. forces in the Pacific in late March, replacing William Fallon.

In late March, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace paid his first visit to China since being sworn in as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2005.

Editor: Yan