Successful Beijing 2022 a victory for global friends

China is celebrating both Spring Festival and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. A glorious opening ceremony with the theme of "Together for a Shared Future" was attended by more than 30 heads of state, leaders of international organizations and other high-level representatives from around the world.

While athletes were winning in events, countries were achieving win-win agreements. For example, Argentina formally joined the Belt and Road Initiative and reached an $8 billion deal for the building of a nuclear power plant in the country; China opened talks on a free trade agreement with Ecuador as well as one with the Gulf Cooperation Council States and released a significant joint statement on its relations with Russia; and Beijing also signed a number of deals to initiate Phase Two of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Despite the significant movement underway in China's expanding ties with countries all over the world, there was nonetheless some background noise.

As the Winter Olympics got underway, there was a relentless campaign by the Western media that might be described, for all intents and purposes, as a public opinion war. The efforts attempted to deny China any prestige from holding the event and consolidated narratives against the country in order to meet the objectives of a United States-led diplomatic boycott, which in the end mattered little anyway.

In doing this, the mainstream media in the West have turned to anything that could be deemed as negative publicity, selectively filtering out a balanced picture and refusing to show the event in a positive light. This has involved nonstop references to China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Uygur ethnic group, an amplification of any complaints that athletes might have with a view to framing China's "zero-COVID" policy as oppressive and authoritarian, and other baseless speculation.

For example, the BBC, which has relentlessly run stories critical of the Winter Games and also turned its own BBC Sport division into a vehicle for political messaging, downplayed the opening ceremony altogether and failed to make it a feature news item on its home page, instead placing it near the bottom underneath a random Scottish Rugby Union story. Yet anytime there has been a negative-tailored story, it has been the leading piece of the day.

The Western public is essentially being subjected to a relentless, daily demonization of China on all fronts.

Yet, as the old saying goes: "The dog barks, but the caravan moves on." This is not a time of shame, disgrace or isolation for China but a demonstration of its active role and importance in the world, and more so that the international order is not dominated by a select group of countries who believe they are esteemed above all the rest.

If anything, the attitude espoused by the US, the United Kingdom and other like-minded countries is as small-minded as it is inherently shortsighted. These countries are attempting to sit out believing that the world will ultimately follow them, lost in the nostalgia of a dominance they once held unquestionably but no longer do.

In doing so, they are losing golden opportunities to engage and build bridges with what should be a very important partner, be it in trade, investment or technology. The move to incite a Cold War sentiment among their populations through a relentless propaganda push is not a wise choice, and ultimately makes this world a more uncertain, more dangerous and divided place. But will it cease the rise of China? Will it block China's engagement with all those other countries, from Asia to Africa, the Middle East, South America and, for that matter, Europe?

It will not. The strength of support shown to China in spite of this effort shows that the tide is turning, and in attempting to turn back the clock forcefully, these countries may ultimately end up isolating themselves. Nothing that they have sought to throw at the Winter Games changes the fact that the event is a pivotal moment in how many nations of the world are realigning their priorities and looking beyond a world once dominated by the US and its partners.

It is ultimately better, though, to work together than to wage confrontation, and one day, it might be hoped, these nations will recognize the mistakes they are making.

The author is a British political and international relations analyst. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.