First cross-border marathon of China's National Games kicks off

China

First cross-border marathon of China's National Games kicks off

2025-11-15 14:09 Last Updated At：23:27

The first cross-border marathon in the history of China's National Games kicked off in Shenzhen City of south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday.

The ongoing 15th National Games, taking place across Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region from Nov 9 to 21, marks the first time that the three Chinese regions are co-hosting the country's highest-level and largest national multi-sport event.

A total of 69 athletes from 22 provincial-level regions, including six representing Hong Kong and Macao, took part in the marathon events.

Starting from the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, the marathon route included the Shenzhen Bay Bridge, connecting Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

While passing through the Shenzhen Bay Port to enter Hong Kong, athletes didn't need to change their pace to cross the border inspection point.

Such smooth customs clearance was made possible by a pre-check at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, where athletes put on a wristband equipped with a chip of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System after identity verification. The wristband would send location information every few seconds to the sports center. So, when athletes ran through the port, data on their customs clearance was collected in real time.

So far, the marathon route has been officially certified by the World Athletics, allowing the Greater Bay Area to hold more international top races. Also, the route is expected to open to amateur runners in the future.

He Jie from northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Zhang Deshun from southwest China's Yunnan Province won the men's and women's events, respectively.

ROK president reiterates firm adherence to one-China principle

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.