Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan Host Banquet for Foreign Dignitaries Attending Beijing 2022

On February 5, 2022, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to welcome the distinguished international guests attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Xi Jinping pointed out that after 14 years, the Olympic cauldron has been lit once again in Beijing, making the city the world’s first to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Committed to organizing green, inclusive, open, and clean Games, China has made every effort to counter the impact of COVID-19, earnestly fulfilled its solemn pledge to the international community, and ensured the smooth opening of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 as scheduled. By preparing for and organizing the Winter Games and promoting Olympic winter sports, China has popularized winter sports among the ordinary people, achieved the goal of engaging 300 million Chinese in sports on snow and ice, and made new contributions to the cause of Olympism worldwide.

Xi Jinping stressed that the Olympic Movement has carried humanity’s aspirations for peace, solidarity, and progress. We shall keep in mind the original aspiration of the Olympic Movement and jointly uphold world peace. We need to uphold mutual respect and equality, and work together for a world of durable peace. We shall promote the spirit of the Olympic Movement and meet the common challenges facing the international community through solidarity.

President Thomas Bach of the International Olympic Committee and UN Secretary-general António Guterres delivered their remarks respectively. They acknowledged that the Chinese people are well known for their efficiency, determination, and vitality, which have been proved by fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and hosting the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. China has achieved the goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports ahead of schedule which will permanently change the landscape of winter sports in the world and benefit both China and the world. Today’s world is facing many challenges, and it needs solidarity and cooperation all the more. We hope that the international community will take the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 as an opportunity to transcend differences and work together to build a better future.