Presidents cheer on hockey players

Xi, Putin boost cooperation in winter sports

The presence of China's and Russia's top leaders at a friendly youth ice hockey game on Friday reinforced bilateral cooperation in winter sports development leading up to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, both avid sports fans, found common ground as they watched the game between the two countries' junior teams at the Tianjin Gymnasium on Friday as part of exchange activities during Putin's state visit to China.