HARBIN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Friday hosted a welcome banquet in China's northeastern city of Harbin for international dignitaries who are here to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a group photo with international dignitaries in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan on Friday hosted a welcome banquet in China's northeastern city of Harbin for international dignitaries who are here to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a welcome banquet held for international dignitaries in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Friday hosted a welcome banquet in China's northeastern city of Harbin for international dignitaries who are here to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, host a welcome banquet for international dignitaries who are here to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

International dignitaries are greeted by a group of 40 children in Chinese and foreign ethnic costumes singing Heilongjiang folk song "Boat Song on the Wusuli" in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Friday hosted a welcome banquet in China's northeastern city of Harbin for international dignitaries who are here to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)