Xi holds welcome ceremony for Slovak president

China

Xi holds welcome ceremony for Slovak president

2026-07-28 14:51 Last Updated At：16:47

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a welcome ceremony for Slovak President Peter Pellegrini at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.

A 21-gun salute was fired at Tian'anmen Square and a military band played the national anthems of Slovakia and China during the ceremony.

Accompanied by Xi, Pellegrini reviewed the guard of honor of the People's Liberation Army.

The two heads of state then returned to the reviewing stand to watch a march-past performed by the guard of honor.

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and other Chinese officials attended the welcome ceremony.

At the invitation of Xi, Pellegrini is paying a state visit to China from Monday to Wednesday.

Chinese shares close lower Tuesday

Chinese stocks closed lower on Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 1.16 percent to 3,813.31 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 4.52 percent lower at 13,509.68 points.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 7.35 percent to close at 3,327.03 points.

The ChiNext Index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and other indices, reflects the performance of stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.