Chinese president returns to Beijing after state visit to Russia

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the plenary session of the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) held in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 7, 2019. Xi Jinping on Friday attended the plenary session of the 23rd SPIEF along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other guests. (Xinhua)

   BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Saturday morning after a state visit to Russia and attending the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

   Xi's entourage, including Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (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, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi; and He Lifeng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Development and Reform Commission, also returned to Beijing on the same plane.

   Xi left St. Petersburg to return home on Friday afternoon local time. Senior officials of the Russian Federation government, as well as the governor of Leningrad Oblast and senior officials of the St. Petersburg Municipal Government, saw him off at the airport.