Chinese president Xi declares the Beijing Winter Olympics open

President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott.

Fireworks exploded over the "Bird's Nest" as the lattice-shaped stadium took centre stage, just as it did at the 2008 Games, as Beijing becomes the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics.

Xi, under whose rule China has adopted a more muscular attitude internationally compared to 14 years ago, was given a rapturous welcome by the socially-distanced crowd wearing face masks, for what his ruling Communist Party hopes will be a soft-power triumph.

The snowflake-themed ceremony got off to a solemn start when eight soldiers slow-marched with the Chinese flag, before the national anthem rang out into the cold night air.

"I declare the 24th Beijing Winter Olympics open," said Xi, who was joined by world leaders including Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two having met earlier in the day.

China and Russia have both seen ties with Washington deteriorate markedly, and with tensions rising in Europe over Russia's troop build-up on the Ukrainian border, Putin hailed the "truly unprecedented nature" of relations with his hosts.

The United States, Britain, Canada and Australia are among countries staging a diplomatic boycott of the Games over China's rights record, particularly the fate of the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.

Their athletes will still compete at the Games, which run until February 20 and are taking place inside a vast "closed loop" bubble designed to thwart the virus.

About a third of the 90,000-capacity "Bird's Nest" was full, but like sports events at the Games, tickets were not sold to the public because of