Chinese president and international dignitaries urge cooperation at Beijing banquet

President Xi Jinping called for greater solidarity in the international community to respond to various global challenges as he hosted foreign dignitaries attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at a banquet in Beijing on Saturday.

While toasting the banquet's participants at the Great Hall of the People around noon on Saturday, Xi highlighted the need to promote the spirit of the Olympic Movement and meet the common challenges facing the international community through solidarity.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging global issues, including climate change and terrorism, 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, he said.

"We shall keep in mind the original aspiration of the Olympic Movement and jointly uphold world peace. The Olympic Movement was born for the sake of peace and has thrived thanks to peace," Xi said.

He underlined the necessity to uphold mutual respect, equality, dialogue and consultation, and to strive to bridge differences, eliminate conflict and work together for a world of durable 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, he said.