China stands ready to deepen cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in more areas to jointly promote the development of the Olympic Movement, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said when meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach in Beijing on Tuesday.
China highly appreciates the significant contributions made by Bach during his tenure to promote cooperation between the IOC and China, said Han.
The just-concluded 9th Asian Winter Games in the Chinese city of Harbin presented to the world a great sports event that is distinctly Chinese, uniquely Asian and spectacular, Han said.
China always values the development of its sports sector and takes an active part in international Olympic affairs, said Han, adding that China stands ready to deepen cooperation with the IOC in more areas to jointly promote the development of the Olympic Movement and make new contributions to world peace, unity and progress.
Bach congratulated China on the successful conclusion of the Asian Winter Games and thanked the Chinese side for its long-term support of the IOC. He expressed the IOC's willingness to strengthen cooperation with China to jointly uphold multilateralism and achieve greater accomplishments in the Olympic cause.
China ready to deepen cooperation with IOC in more areas: Chinese vice president
Year-end box office revenues in China are strong, with sales and pre-sales for screenings between Nov 28 and Dec 31 exceeding 4 billion yuan (about 570 million U.S. dollars) by 22:45 on Thursday, according to online platform data.
The strong performance in the year-end season has been driven by high-quality moviemaking and a broad selection of movies, with more than 50 films scheduled for release during the period, covering suspense, drama, action and science fiction.
Among domestic productions, war drama "Gezhi Town", which tells the little-known story of civilians in a remote mountain town in central China defending their home against Japanese aggression back in the late 1930s, has raked in over 330 million yuan (about 46.87 million U.S. dollars) at the box office, including previews and pre-sales.
Several other domestic titles, including suspense films "The Fire Raven" and "Escape from the Outland" as well as the fantasy time-travel adaptation "Back to the Past," are set to be released on Dec 31, offering audiences many different options for New Year's Eve.
On the imported film front, "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment of the franchise which features new adventures and upgraded 3D visuals, will hit Chinese theaters on Dec 19.
Another import, "Zootopia 2," has already grossed over 3.6 billion yuan (about 511 million U.S. dollars) in China, surpassing its North American earnings and making China the film's top-grossing market worldwide.
China's year-end box office revenues surpass 4 billion yuan
