We collect cookies to analyze our website traffic and performance; we never collect any personal data.Cookies Policy
Accept
Michigan Post
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Michigan
  • World
  • Politics
  • Top Story
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economics
    • Real Estate
    • Startups
    • Autos
    • Crypto & Web 3
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Beauty
    • Art & Books
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Education
Reading: Opening Ceremony Highlights: A Surprise Start to China’s Big Moment
Share
Font ResizerAa
Michigan PostMichigan Post
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Michigan
  • World
  • Politics
  • Top Story
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economics
    • Real Estate
    • Startups
    • Autos
    • Crypto & Web 3
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Beauty
    • Art & Books
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Education
© 2024 | The Michigan Post | All Rights Reserved.
Michigan Post > Blog > Sports > Opening Ceremony Highlights: A Surprise Start to China’s Big Moment
Sports

Opening Ceremony Highlights: A Surprise Start to China’s Big Moment

By Editorial Board Published February 5, 2022 4 Min Read
Share
Opening Ceremony Highlights: A Surprise Start to China’s Big Moment
Steven Lee Myers

Feb. 4, 2022, 9:06 a.m. ET

Feb. 4, 2022, 9:06 a.m. ET

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.Credit…James Hill for The New York Times

President Vladimir V. Putin was there, rising out of his seat and waving to Russia’s team as it entered the Bird’s Nest. So were the leaders of the five Central Asian nations that were once part of the Soviet Union. The leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates came, even though they are hardly known for winter sports. Pakistan’s leader, Prime Minister Imran Kahn, announced his attendance on Twitter with a dramatic, masked photograph of himself and the words “Visit China.”

President Biden and other Western leaders declared they would boycott the Beijing Games in protest of the country’s human rights abuses, but China managed to summon enough of a crowd at the opening ceremony on Friday to claim that the “diplomatic boycott” had been a failure.

The leaders of 22 nations attended, as well as the leaders of several international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization, according to a list published by China’s foreign ministry.

That was more, Chinese officials noted, than the 15 who attended the opening of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo last year, but far less than the 80 who traveled to Beijing for the 2008 Games.

“The United States is doing everything possible to block the Winter Olympics, but they just want to come to Beijing to support them!” a commentary posted by the state television channel, CCTV, declared triumphantly.

Postcard from the Beijing Olympics

Our exiled correspondent returns to China.

The competing lists of the world leaders who attended and the ones who did not reflected some of the geopolitical divisions that have taken shape amid a deepening confrontation between the United States and China.

Although White House officials said that Biden was not organizing a broader boycott, several other Western countries said that they, too, would not send official delegations. The group included Britain, Canada, Australia and Japan. Other countries also declined to send officials, though they cited the pandemic’s health restrictions.

Those inside Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium on Friday night included not only China’s closest allies, including Russia and Pakistan, but others that have recently found themselves dependent on economic or geopolitical ties with China.

Scott Kennedy, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that all of those who declined to attend were democracies. Those who arrived for Friday’s festivities scored far lower on the ranking of political freedoms by the advocacy group Freedom House. “When the camera pans the opening ceremony showing who is — and who is not — sharing the stage with Xi Jinping, the message will be clear to all,” he wrote in a commentary on The Wire.

TAGGED:The Washington Mail
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print

HOT NEWS

Michigan AG Nessel challenges funding halt for authorized companies of unaccompanied immigrant kids

Michigan AG Nessel challenges funding halt for authorized companies of unaccompanied immigrant kids

Michigan
July 18, 2025
Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency after plot to kill authorities officers uncovered

Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency after plot to kill authorities officers uncovered

A brand new state of emergency has been declared in Trinidad and Tobago after authorities…

July 18, 2025
Celebrities Then and Now: Y2K Version

Celebrities Then and Now: Y2K Version

Rewind to the 12 months 2000 and Religion Hill‘s “Breathe” was the most popular song…

July 18, 2025
Mira Costa is the place with a particular groups trio set to punt, kick, snap and maintain

Mira Costa is the place with a particular groups trio set to punt, kick, snap and maintain

In the case of particular groups, Mira Costa’s soccer staff has a dream group able…

July 18, 2025
Charge change triggers again pay for 1000’s of Michiganders on unemployment

Charge change triggers again pay for 1000’s of Michiganders on unemployment

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Have been you amassing unemployment advantages earlier this 12 months?…

July 18, 2025

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Shohei Ohtani turns into an writer with a e book starring his canine Decoy out subsequent 12 months

Shohei Ohtani is already well-known as a pitcher and a slugger.The Dodgers celebrity has just lately taken on one other…

Sports
July 18, 2025

4 main questions the Dodgers face within the second half of the season

p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix"> It’s an age-old query with regards to the Dodgers, solid upon a new-look roster battling acquainted injury-related complications.…

Sports
July 18, 2025

Clippers rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser displaying development in Summer season League

LAS VEGAS — Yanic Konan Niederhauser acquired the cross close to the half-court line from a Clippers teammate who had simply stolen…

Sports
July 17, 2025

Commentary: Secret to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 2025 success? His hero-like effort in Sport 5 of NLDS

Blue towels swirled round in each part of Dodger Stadium as his entrance music began to play.Yoshinobu Yamamoto stepped on…

Sports
July 17, 2025

Welcome to Michigan Post, an esteemed publication of the Enspirers News Group. As a beacon of excellence in journalism, Michigan Post is committed to delivering unfiltered and comprehensive news coverage on World News, Politics, Business, Tech, and beyond.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact Us

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 | The Michigan Post | All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?