Xi's Olympic guest list heavy on strongmen and autocrats
CNN
When China's leader Xi Jinping opens the Beijing Olympics on Friday he will be flanked by leaders who are unlikely to quell the chorus of concerns the Games are bolstering an authoritarian regime.
Of the just over 20 presidents, prime ministers, heads of state and royalty set to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday, around half of those dignitaries hail from authoritarian countries with several others listed as "hybrid regimes," as classified by The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2020.
Democratic leaders including from Singapore, Argentina, Ecuador, Mongolia, Poland and Serbia were included in a list of attendees released by China's Foreign Ministry last week, ahead of a Games already plagued with controversy.
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