Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met the leaders of several more countries on Saturday, part of a diplomatic blitz against the backdrop of the Beijing Winter Olympics, following nearly two years without face-to-face meetings due to the pandemic.
Xi hosted a Lunar New Year-themed banquet at the Great Hall of the People on Saturday for heads of state and international organisations attending the Winter Olympics.
The banquet was the first time Xi joined a gathering of world leaders since the outbreak of Covid in late 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. The event was co-hosted by China’s first lady Peng Liyuan.
Xi also held individual meetings with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic and President Abdel Fatta Al-Sisi of Egypt in the morning, Xinhua news agency reported, discussing Belt and Road Initiative-related infrastructure investments and cooperation in the fight against Covid-19.
The banquet guest list included Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as leaders from Europe and Asia Pacific, according to Chinese state media.
Toasting fellow leaders at the banquet, Xi expressed “heartfelt thanks to all governments, peoples and international organisations who care about and support the Beijing Winter Olympics”.
{{/usCountry}}Toasting fellow leaders at the banquet, Xi expressed “heartfelt thanks to all governments, peoples and international organisations who care about and support the Beijing Winter Olympics”.
{{/usCountry}}“China has made every effort to overcome the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, earnestly fulfilled its solemn commitments to the international community and ensured the Beijing Winter Olympics is being held as scheduled,” Xi said in a speech shared by the Chinese foreign affairs ministry.
Xi’s message was targeted at the US and other western countries that announced a diplomatic boycott of the global sporting event amid rising geopolitical tensions and allegations of human rights abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
The Global Times, run by the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily, hit back at foreign media reports that the event had attracted only “authoritarian” leaders, accusing them in an editorial of using “outdated anti-China cliches”.
In his meeting with the Kazakh president, noting that an independent, safe, stable and prosperous Kazakhstan is in the common interests of the people of the two countries, Xi said China firmly supports Kazakhstan in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and believes it has the ability to safeguard national security and social stability.
“China will always be Kazakhstan’s reliable friend and firm partner, and is ready to help Kazakhstan maintain stability, develop its economy and improve people’s livelihood,” Xi said.
He told Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov that the two sides should deepen cooperation on supplying natural gas to China.
More than 30 international leaders arrived in Beijing for Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony with Xi meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the inauguration for a landmark bilateral amid Moscow’s tension with western countries over Ukraine.
Xi also met and signed agreements with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, reaffirming the two countries’ all-weather strategic partnership on Friday.