IRIA Report: China’s Olympics Diplomacy – From diplomatic boycotts to breakthrough agreements

Asia-Pacific, News February 7, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Much anticipated Winter Olympics opening ceremony commenced on February 4, 2022, to mark the start of winter games. The grand sporting event would host around 2900 athletes from 91 countries.

This is not the first time that Beijing has emerged as the place that brings together world athletes. After hosting the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the Winter Olympics of 2022 made Beijing the world’s first city to host both winter and summer Olympics games.

China has been observing one of the strictest COVID-19 precautions to maintain a zero-case policy. President Xi Jinping has not left China for more than two years. His last visit was in 2020 to visit Myanmar, only a few days before China went into lockdown amid the surging number of coronavirus cases in Wuhan.

With an influx of more than 60,000 individuals including athletes, coaches, officials, delegates, and media personnel, China is observing a strict pandemic prevention policy that was evident throughout the opening ceremony as well as all the sporting events so far. The games would take place only in the presence of a small number of the selected audience while no international fans are allowed to attend the events. All the participants of Winter Olympics 2022 have to follow strict protocols in order to avoid the spread of the virus. COVID-19 tests are being conducted frequently among athletes, officials, and other related personnel. Since January 23, China has conducted more than 610,000 tests related to the Winter Olympics out of which only 287 tests came positive so far.

Despite following a harsh pandemic prevention policy, China sent several invitations to international leaders and delegates from around the world to participate in the vibrant opening ceremony.

President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang held several high-level face-to-face meetings with distinguished guests and international leaders on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. As China’s strong regional allies like Russia and Pakistan warmly attended the opening ceremony, some Western countries boycotted the games for their own different reasons.

Here is what happened on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 – Click here to Read Full Report