Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a group photo with guests during a welcoming banquet ahead of the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan on Friday hosted a banquet in Chengdu to welcome guests attending the opening ceremony of the Chengdu FISU World University Games.Photo: Xinhua

As young athletes gather in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province to compete in the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games, China also starts its summer season diplomacy by welcoming foreign leaders and discuss how to further promote bilateral relations and strengthen solidarity of the Global South to inject impetus into the world in the post COVID-19 era. 

On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade together with visiting foreign leaders - Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia, President Evariste Ndayishimiye of the Republic of Burundi, and President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

At a welcoming banquet on Friday, President Xi said that the World University Games has always been a celebration of youth, solidarity and friendship and called on countries to carry forward the spirit of the sports event to stand up to global challenges in solidarity. Xi also pointed out that countries should deepen exchanges and mutual learning to promote harmony without uniformity in the spirit of inclusiveness, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Analysts said that the sports event in Chengdu is a good start for China's summer season diplomacy under the keyword "solidarity," and by hosting the Universiade, China is demonstrating its determination to promote international cooperation and bridge cultural gaps to resist the negative influence of some small cliques driven by Cold War mentality. 

From Thursday to Friday, President Xi held bilateral meetings with the visiting foreign leaders, discussing pragmatic cooperation and called for the building of a community with a shared future. 

During his meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday, Xi said China is willing to take the visit as an opportunity to deepen strategic cooperation with Indonesia, set an example for developing countries in sharing a common future, pursuing solidarity and cooperation and boosting common development, and inject more certainty and positive energy into the region and the world.

The meeting between Xi and Widodo during the Universiade in Chengdu highlights the friendship between China and Indonesia and will further strengthen the connotation of a China-Indonesia community with a shared future and laid a solid foundation for the next step of cooperation, said Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Xu also noted that the cooperation between China and Indonesia has also created a new cooperation model for the Global South based on mutual respect and mutual learning for common development.

The great importance China has attached to the traditional friendship as well as pragmatic cooperation and solidarity of the Global South can also be seen from Xi's meeting with other visiting foreign leaders, analysts said. 

While meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Chengdu on Friday, Xi said that during Garibashvili's visit, both sides will issue a joint statement and announce the establishment of China-Georgia strategic partnership.

Taking this as a new starting point, China and Georgia should plan bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, promote the sound and steady development of the strategic partnership, and provide momentum for the development and revitalization of both countries, Xi said.

During the meeting with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, Xi also stressed that China supports Guyana in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and is willing to work with Guyana to practice true multilateralism, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and energy security. China is also willing to work with Caribbean countries to build a closer community with a shared future.

These foreign leaders attending the opening ceremony come from different parts of the world, representing different continents and hemispheres, demonstrating a sense of unity, especially among developing countries as China has always emphasized its identity as a developing country, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

China's emphasis on cooperation and unity among developing countries is different from the tactics used by the US and its Western allies to incite confrontations or clashes or hyping about decoupling, said analysts.

By hosting the Universiade in Chengdu and warmly welcoming foreign leaders with hospitality and a remarkable level of professionalism, China also wants to show the openness of Chinese society and its willingness to cooperate with the international community in common development and to unite with more countries to build a community of share future, Zhang Yiwu, a professor from the Peking University, told the Global Times.

This event provides a valuable platform for young athletes to showcase their talents and foster communication among participants and also offers an opportunity for people around the world to shift their focus toward unity and solidarity, rather than disputes, differences, and the prevailing Cold War mentality, said Zhang.

Moreover, by hosting the Universiade, China is demonstrating its determination to promote international cooperation and bridge cultural gaps through sports. This event not only showcases China's capabilities as a host nation but also highlights the country's commitment to fostering global understanding and friendship, said the expert.