Xi wins at Sochi with 'sports diplomacy'

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Xi wins at Sochi with 'sports diplomacy'

Source:Globaltimes.cn Published: 2014-2-6 15:38:00

Latest News

Chinese president wraps up Sochi trip
Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 8 left the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for Beijing after attending the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games.

Xi meets Putin in Sochi
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Sochi in Russia on the afternoon of February 6 to attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a move analysts said reflects China's strong backing of bilateral relations with Russia.

Chinese president leaves for Sochi to attend opening ceremony of Winter Olympic Games
Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing for Sochi on the morning of February 6 to attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Russia, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Xi will be in host city Sochi from February 6 to 8, announced China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 20.

Entourage


Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee	Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee	Yang Jiechi, State Councilor

Significance

This will be Xi's first foreign trip in 2014 and the first attendance by a Chinese president at a major overseas sports event, demonstrating China's strong support for the Olympics and Russia's effort to host the games.

Schedule

	On February 6, Xi met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at Sochi, their first meeting in 2014.
	On February 7, Xi met with China's delegation to the 22nd Winter Olympic Games and gave a boost to the athletes' morale.
	Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia on February 7.

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 on February 7 on such topics as the Sochi Olympics, China-Russia ties, China's reform and development, and his governing philosophy.

Comments

Editorial: Sochi Games consolidate Sino-Russian ties
Xi's presence at the 2014 Sochi Games constitutes an unconventional protocol in China's diplomatic endeavors, but this is also anticipated by strategic analysts. This represents Beijing's support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, reflecting a certain feature of Sino-Russian relations.

Xi's trip to Sochi to further consolidate China-Russia ties
Xi's presence at the Sochi Winter Games shows the world that China firmly supports Russia in hosting a successful sports event. Meanwhile, it is also another case in point that the two sides have each other's support over issues of major concern.

Liu Guchang, China's former ambassador to Moscow, told Xinhua that Xi's visit would lay a solid foundation and develop sound strategies for the future development of China-Russia relation.

"The visit will help the two leaders develop a closer personal friendship and work relationship, which are irreplaceable for the development of bilateral ties," Liu said.

Wei Jizhong, former International Volleyball Federation chief, says there is no other international sports events that can attract world attention like the Olympic Games. President Xi's appearance at the event not only represents the Chinese government's support to sports, but also China's confidence in interacting with the world.

"President Xi's visit can provide an opportunity for the members of the International Olympic Committee to have direct communication with Chinese leaders. This may help them better understand China. When they go to other countries, they may spread positive impressions of China," Wei said.

Xi's Voices

On his first-year experience as China's president
Xi said it is important for a Chinese leader to have overall considerations and keep balance between different matters while focusing on priorities.

"It is like you need to use all the ten fingers when you play the piano," Xi said.

On China-Russia relations
China-Russia cooperation has so far borne rich fruit in such fields as trade and economy, energy, advanced technology, people-to-people exchanges and international affairs, not only promoting the development and prosperity of both countries, but also helping safeguard international justice, stability and peace.

"I am very satisfied with the achievements in the development of China-Russia relations," he said.

Xi - Putin Meetings
in 2013

Xi arrives in Moscow for state visit on March 22
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow for a state visit to Russia, the first foreign trip after he took office. Xi held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and signed a raft of documents on cooperation between the two countries.

Chinese president participates in BRICS Leaders-Africa Dialogue Forum on March 27
Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, collectively known as BRICS, and African countries exchanged views under the theme "Unlocking Africa's potential: BRICS and Africa cooperation on infrastructure."

Xi, Putin talk ahead of G20 summit on September 5
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin vowed to safeguard the interests of emerging markets and push for reform in international financial systems when they met before the Group of 20 (G20) summit in St Petersburg to discuss the promotion of economic growth and the creation of job opportunities.

Xi says China supports Russian proposal on September 13
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China supports Russia's proposal on Syrian chemical disarmament in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan while addressing the 13th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Bishkek Declaration, signed by the six presidents of the SCO countries of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on September 13, said the international relations are undergoing profound changes with factors of instability and uncertainty remarkably increasing.

Xi, Putin meets at APEC summit on October 7
While meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sideline of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Xi said China and Russia share a wide range of common interests in the region.

Sochi 2014

On February 7 at 20:14 Moscow time (1614 GMT), Putin will formally open the Olympic Games in front of the 40,000 audience and over 40 world leaders in the Fisht arena. In total, about 60 world leaders have announced their plans to visit Sochi Winter Games.

The Winter Olympics in Sochi are to take place on February 7-23 with 98 sets of medal to grab.

The Chinese Olympic Committee sent a 139-member delegation, including 66 athletes, to the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. With a half of the athletes making their Winter Olympic debuts, the Chinese delegation will feature competitors in four sports with 49 events, out of 98 events in seven sports in total.

Sino-Russia Relations

December 27, 1991	China and Russia signed a memo to ensure Russia would inherit the diplomatic relations the Soviet Union and China established on Oct 2, 1949.
December 1992	China and Russia signed a joint statement on the foundation for bilateral ties, calling for China and Russia to regard each other as "friendly countries."
September 1994	China and Russia signed the second joint statement, announcing the two countries are resolved to establish a constructive partnership with a perspective towards the 21st century.
April 1996	The two countries declared the establishment of a partnership of strategic coordination based on equality and trust and oriented towards the 21st century.
July 2001	China and Russia signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, which has laid a strong legal foundation for the two countries to develop a strategic partnership.
May 2003	The two countries signed a joint statement in which both sides agreed to develop good-neighborly and friendly relations and a strategic partnership.
October 2004	The two sides signed a joint statement and approved the guidelines for implementing the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, which stipulated that the two countries would launch a "Year of Russia" in China in 2006 and a "Year of China" in Russia in 2007.
June 2005	China and Russia exchanged the ratification of the Supplementary Agreement on the Eastern Section of the China-Russia Boundary Line, ending border problems between the two countries.
June 2009	The two countries signed a joint statement and approved the program for China-Russia investment cooperation planning.
September 2009	China and Russia approved the program on planning for regional cooperation between China's northeastern region and Russia's far east and eastern Siberia region (2009-2018).
September 2010	The two sides signed the China-Russia joint statement on comprehensively deepening strategic partnership of coordination, and also published a joint statement on the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.
June 2011	The two countries issued a joint statement on a broad range of key international issues.

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