Rising China brings Games to spotlight

The Winter Games used to be less eye-catching than the Summer Games. Yet global attention has been focused on Beijing, which hosted the Summer Games in 2008, too. Why?

The answer is clear: Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games overcoming all odds, including the COVID-19 pandemic and so-called calls of "diplomatic boycott".

First, the Winter Games have drawn additional attention because China is the host country, whose status and influence in the world have increased by leaps and bounds over the past 14 years. For instance, China's GDP was $4.6 trillion in 2008, accounting for 7.2 percent of the global total.