Two years after the Corona virus outbreak, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a banquet on Saturday in honor of foreign heads of state and heads of international organizations attending the Winter Olympics.
According to Chinese media, President Xi Jinping has launched a diplomatic marathon on the eve of the Winter Olympics. On Friday, he met with the Russian president and his “old friend” Vladimir Putin, and later attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics with dozens of foreign guests.
Beijing is seeking international support and has held the Olympics in difficult circumstances to protect its reputation.
The United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada recently announced a diplomatic boycott of China’s human rights record.
According to state media, the banquet was held at the Great Hall of the People. Meals for dozens of distinguished guests as well as an exhibition of music and traditional crafts were arranged.
This week’s meeting is a significant turning point for President Xi Jinping. He had avoided traveling abroad and meeting face-to-face with foreign guests since the outbreak began in 2020.
China has closed its borders for the past two years under the Corona virus strategy.
In addition to President Vladimir Putin, guests included Kazakh President Qasim Jomarat Tukaev, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Leaders from Europe and Asia Pacific were also present.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, also attended the banquet. According to Chinese state media, he was also one of the Olympic torchbearers.
“Let’s work together for lasting peace,” President Xi Jinping said in a speech at the banquet.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also spoke and praised China for managing the Olympics and dealing with the epidemic.
On the occasion of the banquet, the President of China met all the guests separately.