32 world leaders, heads of int'l organisations to attend Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony including Pak PM

Beijing [China], January 28 (ANI): At least 32 foreign heads of state, heads of government, members of the royal family and heads of international organisations will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 amid the diplomatic boycott of a number of countries including the US, according to a media report.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, and hold a welcome banquet for at least 32 foreign heads of state, heads of government, members of the royal family and heads of international organisations, reported Global Times citing Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The invited heads of state, heads of government and members of the royal family include six from Europe, five from Central Asia, three from the Middle East, two from South America, and others from Asia, the Pacific and Africa, reported the Chinese publication citing the list released by the Ministry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan are among the foreign dignitaries to attend the event.
The presence of a large number of foreign guests comes as the COVID-19 cases are on the rise in China and Winter Olympics games face risks of air pollution.
China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment earlier this week had announced that it will take measures to restrict the operations of some air polluters.
In northern China, meteorological conditions during this period can lead to a buildup in air pollution, reported China Daily quoting Liu Youbin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as saying at a news conference on Monday.
The US and a number of countries have announced the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region. Meanwhile, human rights groups and activists across the world have also urged countries and leaders to boycott Winter Olympics over Beijing's human rights abuses. (ANI)