Beijing:
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a banquet on Saturday for heads of state and international organizations attending the Winter Olympics, as part of a diplomatic explosion after nearly two years without face-to-face meetings due to the pandemic.
Dozens of dignitaries — many from autocratic nations friendly to Beijing — were treated to musical performances and a traditional handicraft display alongside meals in the Great Hall of the People, state media reported.
Xi has launched a diplomatic marathon in the run-up to the Games, meeting with Russian president and “longtime friend” Vladimir Putin on Friday and attending the Olympic opening ceremony later in the day with dozens of foreign guests.
This week’s meetings are a striking change for Xi, who has avoided traveling abroad or meeting foreign visitors in person since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
China has largely closed its borders in the past two years in a zero-covid strategy that has reduced daily infections.
Beijing is eager to bolster international support and host a Games that will polish its reputation, despite several countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada, announcing diplomatic boycotts over China’s rights.
In addition to Putin, the banquet’s guest list included Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as a handful of leaders from Europe and Asia-Pacific, according to Chinese state media.
Heads of international bodies, including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization, who was one of the Olympic torchbearers according to state media, were also invited.
The Chinese president had individual meetings with leaders on the sidelines of the banquet on Saturday and reaffirmed his support for Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Beijing praised Tokaev’s “strong measures” against protesters earlier this year after the Kazakh leader took a crackdown on demonstrations — including authorizing his troops to shoot to kill.
Official photos showed a huge banquet table centered around a miniature winter landscape, lit from above by crystal chandeliers.
CCTV showed masked guests, including International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, inspecting traditional clay figurines and painted kites in the Great Hall of the People while a Chinese music group played.
Xi was photographed on Friday greeting and posing for photos with Putin, with both men going maskless, although the Russian leader had skipped the lengthy quarantine period normally required in China for people arriving from abroad.
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