President Xi Jinping's thumbs up for 2014(2)

"I think it is fair to say that Xi and his colleagues have succeeded in preventing further corruption, and they have restored the public's confidence in clean governance," he said. "A clean Party and government are the basis for overall reform and will pave the way for the next stage of development."

Also on Wednesday, President Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year greetings and pledged to work together in 2015.

Xi said he was happy to see that the top-level design and strategic guidance they worked out have led to great results in bilateral cooperation in various fields and to a new chapter in China-Russia ties.

Constantly strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is in line with the two peoples' wishes and the trend of the times, he said. Such a partnership is a key factor in maintaining international security and stability, Xi added.

He pledged joint efforts with Putin to expand, deepen and speed up cooperation in the new year, particularly in celebrations and commemorative activities for the 70th anniversary of the victory in World War II and in youth exchanges.

Noting that 2015 will bring new opportunities for win-win cooperation between the two countries, Putin pledged to work with Xi on the implementation of strategic cooperation projects and on the handling of regional and global hot spot issues.