China welcomes Putin as 'most important guest'... Beijing Winter Olympics open today

Putin-Xi Jinping Summit Showcases Close China-Russia Ties Targeting US
Discussion on Ukraine and Global Issues, Joint Statement Expected

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Cho Young-shin] The '2022 Beijing Winter Olympics' begins its 17-day competition with the opening ceremony on the 4th, despite the absence of leaders from the Western camp including the United States. Under the slogan 'Together for a Shared Future,' the event features athletes from 91 countries, totaling over 2,900 participants, competing for 109 gold medals.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

State-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. local time on the 4th, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders.

To attend the opening ceremony, world leaders such as UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres, UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug arrived in Beijing the previous day.

Among the dignitaries attending the opening ceremony, Chinese media have shown the greatest interest in Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Putin arrived in Beijing that morning and is scheduled to hold a summit lunch meeting with President Xi.

Chinese media praised President Putin as the 'most important guest' among the attending leaders. This is interpreted as a gesture of goodwill considering the intensifying US-China conflicts and deteriorating US-Russia relations.

State-run Global Times welcomed President Putin's attendance at the opening ceremony and his summit with President Xi, interpreting it politically as the beginning of a new phase in China-Russia relations. The outlet predicted that the summit would discuss issues far more complex and difficult than those previously addressed. It also mentioned the possibility that the two leaders would discuss the new Cold War led by the Western camp, including the United States. The Global Times speculated that Russia might raise NATO's eastward expansion policy, while China could bring up Taiwan separatism (independence) at the summit table.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In another article titled 'New Cooperation Possibilities between Xi Jinping and Putin,' the media stated that before arriving in China, President Putin affirmed there are no constraints on further developing the strategic partnership between the two countries, and it is expected that a joint statement outlining new cooperation could be issued after the summit. Some in Beijing suggest that after the summit, President Putin might publicly criticize the United States over NATO expansion and the Ukraine issue, showcasing the close Russia-China ties.

Global Times cited statements from its own international diplomacy experts, mentioning the Ukraine issue. It criticized US President Joe Biden for escalating international tensions by deploying an additional 2,000 US troops to Poland and Germany and relocating 1,000 US troops stationed in Germany to Romania.

Professor Li Haidong of the International Relations Institute at China Foreign Affairs University predicted, "Since the whole world is concerned about the Ukraine issue, President Xi and President Putin will discuss this matter."

Deputy Director Yang Jin of the Russia and Eastern Europe Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, "In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the US-led diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, President Putin's visit to Beijing is highly symbolic," adding that the bilateral relationship will develop even more solidly.

Most Chinese media outlets, including People.cn and Sina.com, reported on President Putin's attendance at the opening ceremony and his summit with President Xi, openly expressing hostile sentiments toward the United States and some Western countries.

Meanwhile, ahead of the summit, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that on the 3rd, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks and exchanged in-depth views on international issues including Ukraine, Afghanistan, and the Korean Peninsula (North Korea).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.