Chinese President Hosts Banquet for Games' Global Guests

The Chinese President Xi Jinping lifted the Olympic spirit to new heights and paved the path for humanity to respond to perse threats and difficulties when he hosted world leaders to a banquet on Saturday.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People for 25 dignitaries who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, including the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, where the State guests were treated to a carefully choreographed showpiece of traditional Chinese culture and the Winter Olympics, according to Chinadaily.com

President El-Sisi participated in the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital, Beijing, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, and a number of heads of state and government.

President Sisi arrived in Beijing on Thursday evening to attend the opening ceremony of the games that kicked off Friday and would last until February 20.

While toasting the banquet's participants, the president made a three-point proposal to amplify the Olympic spirit, calling for greater solidarity in the international community to respond to various global challenges.

Ma Zhaoxu, the vice-minister of foreign affairs, said in an interview after the banquet that the speech made by Xi was significant;  it raised the Olympic spirit to a new level.

During the banquet, Xi urged efforts to promote the spirit of the Olympic Movement and meet the common challenges facing the international community, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and terrorism, through solidarity.

"The only way for all countries to address the various challenges effectively is to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and work together for a shared future," Xi said.

He made an appeal for the global community to keep in mind the original aspiration of the Olympic Movement and jointly uphold world peace, saying that the movement was born for the sake of peace and has thrived thanks to peace.

It is important to act on the purpose of the Olympic Movement, continuously pursue human progress and stay true to humanity's common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, Xi said.

The president's message was echoed by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, both of whom also spoke at the banquet.