China's Xi meets four more heads of state in Olympic diplomacy push

BEIJING :Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the leaders of Serbia, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on Saturday as Beijing used the opening of the Winter Olympics to seize the diplomatic initiative amid simmering tensions with the United States.

Following a groundbreaking agreement with Russia on Friday, Xi held the meetings ahead of a Lunar New Year-themed banquet at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Saturday.

The banquet was the first time the Chinese president has joined a gathering of state leaders since before the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019.

Toasting his fellow leaders, Xi expressed "heartfelt thanks to all governments, peoples and international organisations who care about and support the Beijing Winter Olympics."

"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 published by Xinhua news agency.

Over 30 international leaders have arrived in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, though the United States and other Western countries have subjected the event to a diplomatic boycott amid rising geopolitical tensions and claims 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media reports that the event had attracted only "authoritarian" leaders, accusing them in an editorial of using "outdated anti-China cliches."

Xi held individual meetings with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic and President Abdel Fatta Al-Sisi of Egypt on Saturday morning,