The Beijing Winter Olympics will officially commence 14 years after the wildly successful Beijing Summer Olympics 2008 that heralded the opening of China to the world. However, these Winter Olympics are being held under very different circumstances and under intense international scrutiny. China is juggling with the challenges of organizing a major sporting event amid a global Omicron wave, as well as a Western-led diplomatic boycott over allegations of human rights abuses. Phelim Kine, China correspondent with Politico based in Washington D.C. weighs in on the impact of the Games and China's political direction. Image credit: Shutterstock.com