The China-Russia Friendship Tour: China Tour, a large-scale media activity jointly organized by China Radio International (CRI) and Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency, wrapped up in Beijing on Monday morning.

The closing ceremony of the tour was held in front of the Beijing's National Stadium—the most important site of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi sent a congratulatory letter to the delegation, and praised the tour as a model of effective co-operation between media organizations from both China and Russia. State Leaders from the two countries have also provided positive comments concerning the tour, Wu said.

Director-General of CRI Wang Gengnian, said in a speech at the closing ceremony that both the Chinese and Russian reporters involved have shared an image of a civilized, progressive, innovative and stable China to audiences via their reports.

Vice Mayor of Beijing Sun Anmin, Assistant to the Foreign Minister Li Hui, Vice Director for the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television Tian Jin, Russian Ambassador to China Sergey Razov and other officials attended the closing ceremony.

The China-Russia Friendship Tour: China Tour was launched in Beijing on May 25 as part of celebrations encompassing the Year of China that is currently been held in Russia, a reciprocal event for last year's Year of Russia in China event.

Journalists from 12 mainstream Russian media organizations returned to Beijing on Friday. During the reporting tour, they travelled some 8,600 kilometres, through around 15 Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. They reported stories about China's social development, and the ongoing co-operation between China and Russia.

Conversely, the Russia tour, also organized by CRI and ITAR-TASS last year, saw more than 40 Chinese journalists participate. Over a month's duration, the tour travelled from Beijing to Moscow, carrying the spirit of shared friendship between China and Russia.