**Afghan President Hamid Karzai is due to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior officials in Beijing.**Trade and China’s investment in Afghanistan’s war-torn economy are expected to be the main issues during Mr Karzai’s three-day visit.
Cash-rich Beijing is looking to secure deals on developing Afghanistan’s mineral deposits, correspondents say.
China is also concerned about the spread of Islamic militancy in its Xinjiang region on the Afghan border.
A troubled Afghanistan could be a source of instability in China’s far-western region, the BBC’s Michael Bristow in Beijing says.
President Karzai arrived in Beijing late on Tuesday.
He has brought a team of businessmen who will be looking to sign deals and secure investment from China, our correspondent says.
In 2007, Chinese companies invested $3bn (£2bn) into developing a copper field in Afghanistan.
There are also suggestions that the Afghan team will want to talk about natural gas fields and iron ore deposits, our correspondent adds.
Mr Karzai will also make a speech at Beijing University during his visit.