Chinese president wraps up Sochi trip

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday left the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for Beijing after attending the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games.  [Special coverage]

It was the first attendance by a Chinese head of state at an opening ceremony of a major sports event held overseas.

Russia, for the second time, became Xi's first foreign destination of a year. Last March, he made a state visit to Russia just over a week after taking office as president.

On Thursday, Xi met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at Sochi, their first meeting this year.

During their talks, the two leaders reviewed the achievements in the China-Russia ties in the past year, made strategic plans for the bilateral cooperation in the new year and reached important consensuses on the strategic coordination on major international and regional issues.

Also on Thursday, Xi and Putin jointly held a video talk with captains of Chinese and Russian naval vessels escorting the shipments of Syrian chemical weapons.

The two leaders extended their greetings to the personnel on board and encouraged them to complete the mission and thus contribute to the pursuit of a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis.

On Friday, the president met with his country's delegation to the 22nd Winter Olympic Games and gave a boost to the athletes' morale before the opening ceremony.

During his stay in Sochi, Xi attended a reception held by the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, and held bilateral talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Czech President Milos Zeman, Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The Chinese president also gave an interview to a Russian TV channel in Sochi Friday on such topics as the Sochi Olympics, China-Russia ties, China's reform and development, and his governing philosophy.

Experts said Xi's Sochi visit demonstrated China's strong support to the Olympics and the uniqueness of China-Russia ties.