The hectic five-day US trip for China's leader-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, was orchestrated to show his stamina and boost his international profile, giving him a reputation of being much more personable than President Hu Jintao .
But, aside from the smiles and goodwill gestures, little is still known about the vice-president's work style and how he will handle the ups and downs of Sino-US ties, analysts say.
Xi's trip was widely seen as a chance for the US to get a glimpse of China's future leader.
But the trip proceeded amid uncertainty in bilateral ties, including heated disagreements on the handling of Iran's nuclear programme and deadly protests in Syria.
US claims of China violating fair-trade principles, and criticism of Beijing raised during the US presidential nomination race, made Beijing wary of problems during the trip.
Both sides maintained a friendly tone during high-level talks, calling Sino-US ties one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world.