Chinese president holds talk with counterparts in Beijing

By Emre Aytekin

BEIJING (AA) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday held talks with different world leaders who visited Beijing to attend opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Xi met his counterparts from Egypt, Serbia and five Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

During his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Xi underlined bilateral cooperation especially in the fight against COVID-19, and wished that it would pave the way for China to create a community that shares a common future with the Arab world and Africa.

In talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Xi emphasized the close friendship between the two countries and said China will continue to support Serbia in vaccine production, multilateral cooperation, and Belt and Road projects.

Meeting the presidents of the Central Asian republics, Xi said China attached great importance to cooperation, especially in regional security and stability.

Xi also met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday, and agreed with Moscow that the US-led NATO military alliance should not admit new members.

Countries including the US, the UK, and Australia boycotted the event diplomatically due to China's alleged human rights violations.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar