BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Saturday morning after his five-day state visit to Britain.

The visit, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, was made by a Chinese president in ten years.

During the visit from Oct. 19 to 23, the two countries lifted their ties to "a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century" and agreed that "this visit opens a golden era in China-UK relations featuring enduring, inclusive and win-win cooperation."

Besides London, Xi also visited Manchester in northern England, where he visited the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester, and Manchester's airport city, and announced plans for direct flights between Manchester and Beijing.