CRI： President Xi Jinping's Sochi Visit（2014-02-07 ）

Source: English universal radio

Reprint link：http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/02/06/3481s811594.htm 

Audio address：http://mod.cri.cn/eng/features/pik/2014/02/0207pik.mp3 

English universal radio：2014-02-07 President Xi Jinping's Sochi Visit

Russia, for the second time, has become Chinese President Xi Jinping's first foreign destination of the year. In March last year, President Xi made a state visit to Russia a few days after taking office as China's President. Xi's announced Russian stay from February 6 to 8 and scheduled attendance at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games will be his first foreign trip in 2014.

It will also be the first attendance by a Chinese president at a major overseas sports event, signaling China's strong support for the Olympics and Russia's efforts to host the games. Vladimir Putin, then Russian Prime Minister, attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

In the past 10 years, China and Russia witnessed a surge of cooperation and exchanges across the board, notably, in the energy sector and the people-to-people front. As the two neighboring countries mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2014, many believe that they are forging stronger and closer ties under a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

So how do experts read the importance of President Xi Jinping's attendance at the Sochi Winter Olympics? What potential outcomes can both sides foster in 2014?

Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, bringing you insights into the headlines in China, and around the world; I'm Zheng Chenguang in Beijing.

We speak to Feng Shaolei, professor and Dean of the Advanced School of International and Regional Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, and David Wallechinsky, co-author of the book "The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics" and President of the International Society of Olympic Historians.