Chinese president praises Chicago’s Mayor Daley

CHICAGO (AP) — Chinese President Hu Jintao is praising Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s decades in office, calling him America’s “most senior ranking” mayor.

Hu is making his first visit to Chicago, which is his only stop outside Washington during his current U.S. trip.

Hu and Daley met this evening before attending a lavish dinner with top city leaders.

Daley welcomed Hu and touted the Confucius Institute in Chicago, a language and cultural center that’s one of the largest of its kind in North America.

The retiring Chicago Democrat has worked for years to build ties between Chicago and the world’s second-largest economy.

An election to determine his successor is next month. One of the candidates, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, also attended today’s dinner.