BEIJING U.S. President Bill Clinton flew in to China's capital Friday from the central city of Xian ahead of a crucial summit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. He landed at Beijing's capital airport aboard Air Force one with his 1,000-strong delegation in tow and received a warm welcome from an unusually high-level Chinese official vice president and rising Communist Party Star Hu Jintao. Beijing is set to be the most difficult leg of Clinton's visit. He is due to be officially welcomed at a ceremony today by Jiang in Tiananmen Square. He will then hold a summit meeting with Jiang to discuss a range of thorny issues, including human rights, which rose to the fore Friday in Xian as the U.S. lodged a formal protest over the detention of four dissidents ahead of his arrival. After his airport welcome, Clinton and his immediate party were whisked into a presidential Limousine flown in from the United States and driven with police escort the 35 kilometers (22 miles) to the Diaoyutai state guest house. President Bill Clinton on Friday ruled out any change to the U.S. position on Taiwan during his state visit to China. Our position with regard to Taiwan is embodied in the three communiques and in the Taiwan Relations Act and in the facts of our relationship over the years, Clinton told reporters. So I think it's obvious there will be no change in our position one way or the other on this trip. Taiwan residents fear the United States could betray the interests of the island as its relations with China improve, and they were looking on nervously at Clinton's visit for any hint of a change. Clinton had been asked by reporters at the start of the second day of his nine-day visit whether he would support any kind of independence for Taiwan. Under the communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States is committed to a policy that recognizes Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China. China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan if the island declared independence and insists the two sides must eventually be reunified. Taipei denies any dreams of independence and says it espouses eventual reunion but only if the Communists give up their absolute grip on power and embrace a mutually acceptable democracy. The Communists swept to power in China in 1949 after winning the Chinese civil war and driving the defeated nationalists into exile on the island. During Clinton's visit, Chinese and U.S. officials will discuss issues ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to human rights and trade. Days before Clinton's arrival, China issued a reminder that the potentially explosive issue of Taiwan remained its top priority and that Beijing expected Clinton to acknowledge its concerns. A Chinese government spokesman made clear on Tuesday that Beijing was looking for assurances from Clinton that Washington would not back independence for Taiwan or the island's bid to rejoin the United Nations. Both China and the United States have ruled out a new declaration on Taiwan following Clinton's summit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Beijing had been pressing for a fourth communique that would tighten the screws on Taiwan by committing the United States in writing to oppose Taiwan independence and its membership of world bodies.