As China enters the Year of the Snake, the country welcomes leaders from four Asian states, including Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Brunei and Thailand. Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with them separately over the past few days, before the four leaders gathered in northeast China’s Harbin to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games on Friday.
With the theme of “Dream of Winter, Love among Asia,” the 9th Asian Winter Games were declared open by Xi at the opening ceremony.
Bridge for cultural exchange
It is the third time China is staging the winter continental games, having previously held the 1996 Harbin Asian Winter Games and the 2007 Changchun Asian Winter Games. It is also another major comprehensive international winter sports event held by China after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Since winning the bid for the Games in July 2023, Harbin’s preparations have been in full swing. According to the organizers, over 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia will compete, making this edition the largest in terms of participating delegations and athletes.
“Fantastic! Very good,” Olympic Council of Asia Director General Husain Al-Musallam told CGTN when he talked about Harbin’s preparations for the winter games, noting that he wishes that the fantastic facility, the hospitality and the nice climate will help the athletes enjoy their competition and improve their standards.
The Asian Winter Games in Harbin have emerged as a powerful bridge for culture exchange across Asia, serving as a universal language that transcends borders, said Supitr Samahito, vice president of the Thai Olympic Committee, in an earlier interview.
She praised China’s expertise in hosting major sporting events, noting that it has raised expectations for the Harbin Games. “The Asian Winter Games are not just a sporting event but also a unique opportunity for Asian countries and regions to showcase their cultures and deepen mutual understanding.”
“The slogan of the 9th Asian Winter Games embodies the vision of deepening connections across Asia through winter sports,” said Mitsuya Yuko, vice president of the Japanese Olympic Committee. “It is hoped that the power of sports can reconnect people closely and promote communication and mutual understanding,” she added.
Win-win cooperation
During Xi’s talks with leaders of the four countries, cooperation has been a notable keyword. In his talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Xi called on both sides to create new drivers for growth by expanding cooperation on cross-border e-commerce, big data and artificial intelligence.
When meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Xi said China appreciates Pakistan’s active support for the three global initiatives and participation in relevant cooperation mechanisms, adding that China is ready to deepen practical cooperation with Pakistan in various fields and work together to upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor cooperation.
During his talks with Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Xi called on the two sides to build the China-Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area and the New Land-Sea Corridor as dual hubs.
Noting that China appreciates Thailand’s effective measures against online gambling and telecom fraud, Xi said that both sides should continue to strengthen law enforcement, security and judicial cooperation to safeguard the safety of people’s lives and property as well as the orderly exchanges and cooperation among regional countries in his talks with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
A number of bilateral cooperation documents were signed following separate talks between Xi and each of the leaders.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Clear Insight Research journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.