U.S. Vice President Joe Biden found time for a bit of relaxation before wading into the serious matters of statecraft on the agenda for his China visit.

Shortly after his arrival in Beijing Wednesday evening, Biden paid a surprise visit to the city's national sports center to attend a U.S.-China basketball game.

Biden sat in the front row alongside Gary Locke, the new U.S. ambassador to China, and the president of Georgetown University in Washington as a Georgetown team competed against a provincial team from Shanxi, the Brave Dragons. The Georgetown Hoyas eventually won.