Mindful of the symbolic weight of optics surrounding Hu's visit, officials have taken precautions to avoid any repeat of the time Hu was heckled by a rights activist when he visited George W. Bush's White House.

But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said US officials would forcefully raise human rights in China, and the plight of President Barack Obama's imprisoned successor as Nobel peace laureate.

"President Obama put out a very forward-leaning statement upon the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo -- that he should be free, that he certainly should be free to go Oslo and accept his prize," Gibbs said.

"We will continue to have difficult conversations, but necessary conversations that have to be had with China and we'll do that again tomorrow."

Gibbs was asked by reporters why Hu should be offered the pomp of a state dinner on Wednesday when the United States is such a harsh critic of his government's human rights record.

He did not answer directly, but argued that both India, the recipient of Obama's first state dinner, and China which will be honored Wednesday, are from a crucial and fast growing global region that needs US engagement.

"We want to build on the cooperative part of the relationship with China and -- and deal directly with some of those very difficult challenges," Gibbs said.

"In order to make progress on certain issues you've seen the two countries work together, despite, again, continuing to have differences on things like continued economic growth and human rights."

Obama's decision to honor Hu with a state dinner comes after Bush decided to offer the Chinese leader a formal luncheon rather than the full state visit treatment when he was at the White House in 2006.

After that visit, a Chinese-born US resident Wenyi Wang was charged with heckling the Chinese leader, and chanting slogans, in a protest which embarrassed US officials.

Ahead of this week's visit, authorities are taking no chances. Journalists intending to attend Hu's events were required to register well in advance to enter the White House events -- even those who possess a "hard pass" allowing entry into the grounds.

Though ties between China and the United States have been in rough shape in recent months, with disputes over economics, Tibet, US arms sales to Taiwan and human rights, the White House is going out of its way to be hospitable.

Obama will host Hu in a rare private dinner for a foreign leader on Tuesday night, two hours after Hu touches down at Andrews Air Force base.

The intimate event in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House residence will include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and two corresponding Chinese officials.

Hu will get a full arrival ceremony with military honors at the White House on Wednesday, Oval Office talks, a meeting with US CEOS and then the state dinner.

Elizabeth Economy of the Council on Foreign Relations said that the Chinese side had received the kind of treatment they saw as fitting for their global status.

"They have basically everything they have asked for in terms of providing viewers back in China with the sense that President Hu Jintao and China have arrived, and are sitting side by side with the US President on equal footing or standing," she said.

Human rights advocates promised to ensure that the plight of Liu and other oppressed peoples in China are heard.

"The administration needs to become a stronger voice for the voiceless and vulnerable in China," said Leonard Leo, chairman of the congressionally mandated US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a network of Chinese and international activists called on the US president to take a firm public stand.

"During Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington this week, Obama must send a strong and clear public message that his administration is committed to standing up for the freedom of Chinese citizens," it said.

In Washington, free Tibet activists launched a three day "festival of protest" to denounce Hu.

Hu's "brutal and violent occupation of Tibet, and abuses committed against his own people, clearly show the truth that China remains an unchanged, repressive and authoritarian state," said Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet.

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