Xi’s Olympic Guest List Is Mostly Leaders of Non-Democracies
- Australia, Canada, U.K. joined U.S. boycott over human rights
- Fewer democratic leaders attending compared with 2008 Games
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Chinese President Xi Jinping will host 21 world leaders at the Winter Olympics, and a majority of them preside over non-democratic regimes.
Twelve of the leaders -- including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the most high-profile attendee -- rule nations labeled either “authoritarian” or “hybrid regime” in the latest Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index. The organization rates nations by their electoral process, political participation and civil liberties.