Xie Yingjun:

The last question.

China News Service:

A few days ago, a themed celebration was held in Harbin to mark the countdown of 300 days to the Asian Winter Games. May I ask, what kind of Asian Winter Games will Harbin present to everyone? Thank you.

Liang Huiling:

Thank you for your attention to the Asian Winter Games. The Ninth Asian Winter Games will be held in Harbin from Feb. 7 to 14, 2025. Following the Beijing Winter Olympics, this will be another comprehensive and international winter sports event hosted by China. Heilongjiang has unique ice and snow resources and a solid foundation in ice and snow sports. We will leverage the advantages of being a competitive ice and snow sports province and mobilize the entire province to make this Asian Winter Games a sports and cultural event that showcases Asian style, Chinese ethos, Longjiang characteristics and the charm of this ice city.

First, we will abide by the principle of "a streamlined event" in organizing the games. Harbin is a two Asian Winter Games city, with the first-time hosting being the 3rd Asian Winter Games in 1996. Thus, Harbin has a certain foundation for venue facilities. We will coordinate the needs of the games and post-game utilization, systematically and properly use existing resources, avoid large-scale demolition and construction and utilize the existing facilities for renovation in the implementation of "two competition areas, nine venues, and 37 villages."

Second, we will stick to the principle of "green development" in organizing the games. We will integrate the concept of green development throughout the entire process of the Asian Winter Games. Venue renovations will use energy-saving and environmentally-friendly building materials as well as green, low-carbon construction techniques to ensure environmental protection, green technology and eco-friendly furnishings. We will widely use clean energy, environmentally-friendly products and green, safe food in all aspects of the games, such as using new energy vehicles for torch relay and game services as well as using biodegradable materials for all tableware. The athlete village, technical officials' village and media village will also be heated by clean energy.

Third, we will adhere to the principle of "smartness" in organizing the games. We will apply information technology, intelligent services, biometric identification, artificial intelligence and other technologies in training, event management and security services, providing scientific and technological support for the events and service guarantees. We will comprehensively upgrade the network of venues, transportation hubs, high-speed rail, scenic spots and main hotels. For example, 5G-A technology will be used in venues to provide peak downlink speeds of up to ten gigabits and uplink speeds of up to one gigabit, providing a smoother network experience for everyone.

"Dream of Winter, Love among Asia." The mascots of this Asian Winter Games, "Binbin" and "Nini," are two lovely little Manchurian tigers, symbolizing "Harbin welcomes you." We sincerely look forward to meeting friends from all walks of life in this beautiful ice city and to share the grandeur of the Asian Winter Games. Thank you all!

Xie Yingjun:

Thank you Governor Liang and all the presenters for your introductions. Thank you to all the journalists for your participation. Today's press conference will conclude here. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Wang Yiming, Wang Qian, Cui Can, Wang Wei, Li Xiao, Liu Caiyi, Liu Sitong, Zhang Tingting, Liu Qiang, Yan Bin, Ma Yujia, Mi Xingang, Yuan Fang, Li Huiru, David Ball, and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.