China's Li Fanghui secured the host nation's first gold medal at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, triumphing in the women's freeski halfpipe event at the Yabuli Ski Resort on Saturday.
The 21-year-old led the competition with an impressive score of 95.25 points. Zhang Kexin, also representing China, claimed the silver medal with 89.25, while South Korea's Jang Yu-jin took home the bronze with a score of 85.00.
"From the X Games to the World Cup, and now the Asian Winter Games, I've been competing in these three events. There are three big competitions back to back. My performance has stayed strong throughout, and it's great to maintain it," she said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) after the final match.
When asked to comment on her performance, Li said she is satisfied with her mental adjustment to error.
"I'm really proud of myself and relieved. I fell during the second run and made a mistake, which would usually make me nervous at big competitions like the World Cup. But this time, I managed to stay calm and adjusted my mindset much better than before. By the third run, I was steady and felt really excited because I could see the progress. I wasn't nervous at all," she stated.
Regarding her future plans, Li stated that she will concentrate on the Freeski Halfpipe World Cup.
"For the World Cup, the main goal is to advance to the finals. After reaching the finals, I'll see if I can stand on the podium. But I'll do my best," she added.
Li Fanghui wins China's first gold at Harbin Asian Winter Games
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's political stunts both at home and abroad cannot whitewash Japan's World War II (WWII) aggression, but instead expose the schemes of the country's far-right forces to incite bloc confrontation and promote remilitarization, says a China Media Group commentary published on Sunday.
An edited English version of the commentary is as follows:
In recent days, Takaichi has faced fierce criticism both domestically and internationally.
Her political stunt of kneeling in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier to lay flowers at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra during her visit to Australia further exposed her multiple political calculations to the international community.
Choosing to kneel in front of a tomb in Australia, Takaichi was not regretting for Japan's aggression and atrocities during World War II.
This act not only reveals the distorted world outlook of Japanese politicians, but also exposes their attempts to mislead public opinion, whitewash the crimes of WWII aggression, instigate bloc confrontation, and push for military buildup.
From "fawning diplomacy" during her U.S. visit in March to the recent kneeling show during her visit to Australia in May, Takaichi has been trying to cultivate a friendly image towards the West.
Geopolitically speaking, Japan's far-right forces are trying to expand their military and breach from the restraints of the pacifist constitution by exaggerating external threats. To this end, they are making every effort to exploit geopolitical conflicts and draw neighboring countries, especially Western countries, into bloc confrontation.
Since the end of WWII, Japanese leaders have never apologized to the people of victim countries such as China, the Republic of Korea, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Many Japanese politicians have even tried every means to justify the war crimes.
In particular, Takaichi has questioned the 1995 Murayama Statement, denied the Nanjing Massacre, visited the notorious Yasukuni Shrine annually for many consecutive years, and revived military rank titles during WWII, such as "taisa."
On the issue of Japan's history of aggression, Takaichi's insidious move cannot deceive the world.
Takaichi's political stunts both at home and abroad are a provocation against WWII victim countries in Asia and other regions.
This cannot conceal Japan's remilitarization attempt or the reality that " neo-militarism" is spreading and becoming a threat.
All countries that have suffered from Japanese militarist aggression should remain highly vigilant and united, and work together to safeguard the outcomes of WWII victory, so that historical tragedies never repeat themselves.
Takaichi's political stunts cannot whitewash Japan's history of aggression, remilitarization attempt: commentary
