In a rare move, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with several world leaders on February 5 and 6, as he hosted them in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Here’s a summary of the discussions he held with some of them.
Kyrgyzstan
Xi met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, during which, Xi promised to increase imports of high-quality green agricultural products and support Chinese enterprises to invest and start business in Kyrgyzstan. He added that his government supports the building of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway and intends to expand bilateral cooperation in “medical and healthcare services, poverty alleviation, vocational education, and women & youth affairs.”
Japarov responded by saying that his government “firmly support China in upholding its sovereignty, security and other core interests on issues related to Xinjiang, Taiwan and Hong Kong.”
The leaders also signed multiple documents for “cooperation in culture, green development, translation and publication of each other's classical works.”
Congratulations to every Olympian and Paralympian participating in the 2022 Winter Games.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 4, 2022
Let the Olympic spirit of peace, mutual respect, and understanding shine throughout the games and beyond. pic.twitter.com/8eNoKCyaaV
Singapore
During his meeting with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Xi said that the two sides “should deepen cooperation in green development, strengthen cooperation in digital economy, smart cities, and scientific and technological innovation.”
Halimah said he believed that the foundation of Singapore-China ties “is very solid” due to the Suzhou Industrial Park, the Tianjin Eco-City and the China-Singapore Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity representing the high level of Singapore-China cooperation.
Poland
Xi met President Andrzej Duda of Poland and said that China will further expand the import of agricultural and food products from Poland and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Poland.
President Duda welcomed Xi’s suggestion to explore ways to strengthen cooperation in education, culture, tourism, sports and youth affairs.
United Nations
During his meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Xi noted three “important things in the world that deserve serious contemplation and attention for the present:”
- Fighting the pandemic with solidarity.
- Promoting development compatible with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Promoting democracy in alignment with the path that suits a country’s national realities and meets its people’s needs.
Guterres congratulated Xi for successfully hosting the Games and noted that “the world” needed “a successful Winter Olympics to send a clear message […] that people of any country, ethnicity and religion can rise above differences to achieve solidarity and cooperation.”
Guterres also acknowledged China’s contributions “to the global response to the pandemic by striving to provide two billion doses of vaccines to the world.” Furthermore, he commended Xi’s Global Development Initiative that focuses on advancing the realisation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, including addressing the inequality and imbalance in global development.