Chinese President Xi Jinping returned home Saturday after wrapping up a state visit to the Czech Republic and attending the fourth Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington.

The five-day tour has again testified to China's continued efforts to promote mutually beneficial cooperation and reaffirmed China's firm commitment to safeguarding global nuclear security.

UPGRADING OF SINO-CZECH TIES

Xi's visit to the Czech Republic is the first state visit by a Chinese president in 67 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties, and also Xi's first state visit to a CEE country since he took office, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The Czech Republic has become an important partner of China in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and one of the most active European countries keen on promoting relations with China.

The historic visit will be seen as "a milestone" in Sino-Czech relations and it has given impetus to cooperation between China and Europe, said Wang.

The two countries have agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, which Wang referred to as the most significant political achievement of Xi's Czech Republic visit.

Meanwhile, the two sides agreed to further strengthen the synergy of bilateral development strategies within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Located at the heart of the European continent and with a solid foundation of industries, the Czech Republic is a key nation along the route of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Wang said, adding that it has become "a front-runner in China-CEE cooperation."

The two sides also signed an agreement on direct flights, an important start for a comprehensive cooperation in transportation, manufacturing and other fields.

The Chinese president has made several proposals on strategic cooperation between the two countries, which have received positive responses from the Czech side, Wang said.

The Czech side stands ready to make full-fledged participation in the China-CEE cooperation and to push China-Europe relations forward, making the Czech Republic a haven as well as a gateway for cooperation between China and Europe, the Chinese foreign minister said.

As many as 10 intergovernmental documents and 15 business deals have been clinched in Xi's three-day visit to the European country, Wang said, adding that those deals touch upon cooperation on infrastructure, automobile manufacturing, finance, nuclear energy, medicine and health, as well as industrial parks.

Both countries are facing economic restructuring and highly complementary in each other's industries, Wang said.

Moreover, the Chinese president's visit is not all about politics, as interesting and heart-warming sidelights also played a big part.

The Chinese president, who is an enthusiastic sport fan, met with budding football players and ice-hockey players from both countries, Wang said.

Xi, in company of his Czech counterpart Milos Zeman, also planted a ginkgo sapling, which is symbolic of the friendship between the two countries, Wang added.

SAFEGUARDING GLOBAL NUCLEAR SECURITY

As the international security situation is undergoing profound evolution with frequent global terrorist incidents, the maintenance of global nuclear security and prevention of nuclear terrorism is becoming increasingly prominent to the world, Wang said.

Xi's attendance at the fourth Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington shows that China attaches great importance to nuclear security, reflecting China's willingness to promote global security governance, said the Chinese diplomat.

At the third NSS in The Hague, Xi first proposed "a rational, coordinated and balanced" nuclear security concept and advocated the building of a global nuclear security system featuring fairness and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

During this summit, Xi expounded on how to strengthen the international nuclear security system, including the strengthening of political commitment, national responsibility, international cooperation and nuclear security culture.

Xi put forward a five-point proposal to promote international cooperation in nuclear security -- building of a network for capacity building on nuclear security, supporting all countries in minimizing the use of the highly enriched uranium according to their needs, promoting its national security monitoring system for nuclear power and helping others enhance their capacity in security monitoring and contribute its share to enhancing nuclear power safety and security worldwide.

The proposal, which would benefit the world by providing public goods, are generally welcomed by the participating countries, Wang said.