Xi Jinping shakes hands with a Russian veteran in Moscow, Russia, on May 8, 2015. Xi met with 18 representatives of Russian veterans who fought dauntlessly on the battlefield in northeast China during the anti-Japanese war and in Russia's Great Patriotic War in Moscow, May 8. When presenting an award to a Russian veteran, Xi saw the difficulty the old soldier had in moving and said at once, "Let me come over to you. You can stay there." (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)
When presenting an award to a Russian veteran who fought for China during World War II, Xi saw the difficulty the old soldier had in moving and said at once, "Let me come over to you. You can stay there." He cherishes old friendships and honored his words with a visit to the family of a late friend, Jim Bacon, in Australia.
A selfie of football star Sergio Aguero and Xi drew a large number of views online. In Argentina, he happily accepted a No. 10 jersey with his name on it. When being interviewed, Xi said he likes sports, including football, basketball, volleyball, and boxing. He also takes time out of his busy schedule to swim over 1,000 meters a time.
Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a photo with U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the United States, April 6, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
His wife Peng Liyuan accompanies the president on some trips abroad and has also become a star of China's diplomacy. In the autumn of 2015, Peng walked onto the podium of the United Nations and delivered two speeches in fluent English, one on her Chinese dream: "I hope all children, especially girls, can have access to good education. This is my Chinese dream." The other was about her stories with children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
Xi Jinping chats with members of a local farmer's family during a visit with his wife Peng Liyuan in Costa Rica, June 3, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)
Details of their visits abroad show the warmth of a Chinese family. Whenever the cabin door of their plane opened, the couple always walked down the stairs hand in hand, with matching style and gestures. In June 2013, they visited a rural household in Costa Rica. When the host brought them snacks, Xi picked one up and said, "We two can share this one."
Xi Jinping visits the Queen Mother of Cambodia Norodom Monineath Sihanouk in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, Oct. 13, 2016. The Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk invited Xi to sit in the chair where late King Father Norodom Sihanouk often sat. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)
Countries often extend an exceptional welcome to Xi on his visits. The Russian Ministry of Defense and the command center of military force opened their gates to a foreign head of state for the first time in honor of Xi. The Queen Mother of Cambodia Norodom Monineath Sihanouk invited Xi to sit in the chair where late King Father Norodom Sihanouk often sat. The chair has been cherished by the royal family since the King Father's passing and had never been used until Xi's visit.
