China unveils Winter Olympics world leader guest list
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Despite western attempts to sabotage the Olympic Games for China, Beijing is getting a long list of dignitaries attending the games set for next week.
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A lantern containing the Olympic flame for Beijing 2022 Winter Games on display at Beijing Olympic Tower
China unveiled the list of visiting world leaders for the Beijing Winter Olympics set to kick off next week, and it includes the presidents of Russia, Poland, and Serbia, as well as the heads of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
The Winter Games are boycotted by many western nations citing "human rights violations" in the Asian nation, despite calls for the non-politicization of the Olympic Games.
State broadcaster CCTV released an updated guest list for next Friday's opening ceremony, which includes many of China's neighbors, a host of royals, and leaders from several regions in the world.
Chinese President #XiJinping will attend the opening ceremony of the #Beijing2022 Olympic Winter Games. pic.twitter.com/kQlDq2tsWl
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) January 28, 2022
The guest list has 32 foreign visitors, and they include six from Europe, five from Central Asia, three from the Middle East, two from South America, and others from Asia, the Pacific, and Africa.
The dignitaries coming to China will open a huge door for President Xi Jinping to pursue face-to-face diplomacy, as he has remained in China throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as the nation pursued a strict zero-COVID strategy as the rest of the world was reluctant to impose mandates that would lower infection rates.
However, this caused some Western countries, such as the Netherlands, to refuse to send officials over China's strict pandemic travel restrictions.
Xi received International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach in Beijing earlier this week, and it made for his first face-to-face meeting with a visiting foreign official in two years.
Last year, Russia's Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to confirm his presence at the Beijing Olympics, and he was included on the list.
Compared to the 2008 Summer Olympics, China's relations with Western powers are quite difficult.
Beijing has dismissed all western allegations and "concerns," and accused the United States and other Western powers of politicizing the Olympics.
