Chinese President Xi Jinping will receive the heads of state of Poland, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Egypt at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing next week, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and WHO Executive Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are also on the guest list.
Xi hosts a state banquet for all dignitaries. The Winter Games open next Friday at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, which also hosted the 2008 Summer Games’ opening ceremony.
Some influential countries announced their diplomatic boycott of the Games. For example, the United States, Australia, Canada and Britain do not send prominent figures to Beijing to protest human rights violations in China. The Netherlands also does not send a government delegation. King Willem-Alexander also avoids games. Four years ago, he went to the Pyeongchang Games with Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Mark Root.
