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Dozens of dignitaries – many from autocratic nations pleasant to Beijing – have been handled to musical performances and a standard handicrafts show alongside the meal on the Nice Corridor of the Folks, state media reported.
Xi has launched a diplomatic marathon within the leadup to the Video games, assembly with Russian president and “outdated buddy” Vladimir Putin on Friday and attending the Olympics opening ceremony later within the day with dozens of international visitors.
This week’s conferences are a putting change for Xi, who has prevented travelling overseas or assembly international guests face-to-face because the begin of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
China has largely closed its borders for the final two years in a zero-Covid technique that has seen every day infections dwindle.
Beijing is eager to shore up worldwide help and pull off a Video games that can burnish its status, regardless of a number of nations together with america, Australia, Britain and Canada asserting diplomatic boycotts over China’ rights report.
In addition to Putin, the banquet guestlist included Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in addition to a handful of leaders from Europe and Asia Pacific, in accordance with Chinese language state media.
Heads of worldwide our bodies together with the World Well being Group’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whom state media mentioned was among the many Olympic torchbearers, have been additionally invited.
The Chinese language president had particular person conferences with leaders on the sidelines of the banquet on Saturday, reaffirming his help for Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Beijing praised Tokayev’s “robust measures” towards protesters earlier this yr after the Kazakh chief took a hardline method to quell demonstrations — together with authorising his forces to shoot to kill.
Official pictures confirmed an enormous banquet desk that includes a miniature winter panorama as its centrepiece, lit from above by crystal chandeliers.
CCTV confirmed masked visitors together with Worldwide Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach inspecting conventional clay collectible figurines and painted kites within the Nice Corridor of the Folks as a Chinese language musical group performed.
Xi was photographed greeting and posing for images with Putin on Friday with each males going maskless, although the Russian chief had skipped the prolonged quarantine interval usually required in China for folks arriving from abroad.
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