Despite a tight schedule during his state visit to the Czech Republic, President Xi Jinping spent about 20 minutes on Tuesday with teenage soccer and ice hockey players from both countries.

Xi, an avid soccer fan, shook hands with the young players in front of the south garden of the Czech President's Office at about 12:50 pm, just after the signing of a joint declaration on a strategic partnership with his Czech counterpart, Milos Zeman.

During the meeting, Xi accepted sports shirts as gifts from the teenage players. He also posed for photos with a visiting ice hockey team of Chinese players around the age of 16.