Key takeaways:

·   On Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the leaders of a number of countries as part of a diplomatic blitz to coincide with the Beijing Winter Olympics.

·   Xi has not attended a meeting of world leaders since the Covid epidemic in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

Following nearly 2 years of face-to-face meetings due to the pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the leaders of a few countries on Saturday as part of a diplomatic blitz against the backdrop of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

On Saturday, Xi hosted a Lunar New Year-themed banquet for heads of state and international organizations able to attend the Winter Olympics at the Great Hall of the People.

Since the epidemic of Covid in late 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, Xi has not attended a meeting of world leaders. Peng Liyuan, China's first lady, co-hosted the event.

In the morning, Xi met with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Egyptian President Abdel Fatta Al-Sisi to discuss Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure investments as well as cooperation in the fight against Covid-19, according to the Xinhua news agency.

As per Chinese state media, the banquet guest list included Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and leaders from Europe and the Asia Pacific.

"Heartfelt thanks to all gov'ts, peoples, and global organizations who care about and support the Beijing Winter Olympics," Xi said at the banquet, toasting his fellow leaders.

Xi's message was directed at the United States and other western countries, which announced a diplomatic boycott of the global sporting event in the wake of rising geopolitical tensions and allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang, China's northwestern region.

The Global Times, a publication of the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily, reacted angrily to reports that the event drew only "authoritarian" leaders, accusing them of using "outdated anti-China cliches" in an editorial.

In his meeting with Kazakhstan's president, Xi stated that an independent, safe, stable, and prosperous Kazakhstan is in the common interests of the 2 countries' peoples. He also stated that China strongly supports Kazakhstan's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and believes it can maintain national security and social stability.

"China will always be Kazakhstan's dependable friend and firm partner, ready to assist Kazakhstan in maintaining stability, developing its economy, and improving the lives of its people," Xi said.

He told Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov that the two countries' cooperation on natural gas supply to China should be strengthened.

More than 30 world leaders arrived in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday, with Chinese President Xi meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the ceremony for a historic bilateral amid Moscow's tensions with western countries over Ukraine.

On Friday, Xi met with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and signed deals, reaffirming the two nations' all-weather strategic partnership.