Where has President Xi's time gone?

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting in Beijing on Friday. [Xu Jingxing/Asianewsphoto]

Xi extends Lunar New Year greetings

President Xi meets Chinese athletes in Sochi

Time flies. The song “Where Has Time Gone?” became a hit in China after the Spring Festival gala by China Central Television broadcast it to billions of viewers.

The concept of vanishing time became even more popular in China after President Xi Jinping wondered where his time had gone during an interview with Russian media. Xi said he devoted most of his time to work when he traveled to Sochi for the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games.

Since being elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November 2012, Xi has made 12 trips throughout China, covering over one-third of the provincial regions, according to Beijing Youth Daily in a special titled, Where has President Xi’s time gone.

Xi also made five trips overseas, covering 39 days in 14 countries on five continents, since taking the helm as Chinese president in March 2013. During his first overseas visit as president, he attended 66 activities in nine days, meeting 32 foreign state leaders and dignitaries and delivering 20 speeches at different occasions. In his recent 43-hour visit to Sochi, Xi also took part in 12 events and activities.

Among Xi's meetings, the most important are the annual meetings of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body, which are held for two weeks in March.

The most frequent meeting is of the Standing Committee of the CPC Political Bureau, the Party's top decision-making body, which Xi has attended 14 times. Xi also chaired the group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee over various topics 12 times, including anti-corruption, reform, and “cultural soft power”.

Xi also attends meetings of other organizations such as the China Communist Youth League and All China Federation of Industry and Commerce. In addition, Xi holds meetings when there is an emergency, such as after the pipeline blast in Qingdao, Shandong province, last year.

And how does the president spend his rare moments of free time? Beijing Youth Daily said that besides reading books, Xi is a fan of sports. He loves swimming, climbing, football, volleyball, tennis and kung fu.