Sci-tech applications involving aerospace materials and energy-saving designs have helped upgrade winter sports facilities and thus promote the ice and snow economy in China.
In the Xuanhua District of Zhangjiakou, the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in north China's Hebei Province, the ice and snow industrial park produces snow-making machines that supply nearly half of China's ski resorts, including a fully automated version with much lower energy consumption.
"Research and development on this type of snow-making machine began two years ago. It was completed last year, and entered mass production this year. So while generating the same wind force and pressure, the power of the motor on each of such snow-making machines is 3,000 watts less compared with other types," said Li Jie, director of production and after-sales service with Beijing Carving Ski Sports Development Group Corp.
The Lidakis Zhangjiakou Ice and Snow Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. has developed a type of ultra-light skiboard.
"The same types of skiboards normally weigh 2.5 kilograms, but ours weigh only 1.8 kilograms," said Jin Huiyuan, president of Lidakis.
In Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, a plant is operating at full capacity to manufacture its newly launched smart color-changing ski goggles.
"Just like the human eye pupils, the ski goggles' lens are able to respond to environment changes within a fraction of a second and adjust the level of brightness, so one pair of such ski goggles can handle various situations including skiing during sunny or cloudy days or in the evening. This is also the first large-scale application of smart spacecraft materials in consumer goods," said Li Na, a senior manager with Harbin Fanqi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.
China has established a product system of ice and snow equipment covering 15 major categories.
The country has in recent years positioned its ice-and-snow economy as a new engine of high-quality growth, especially since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics stirred national enthusiasm for winter sports. The government has set a target for the ice-and-snow economy to reach 1.5 trillion yuan (about 212.2 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030.
According to an industrial research report, the size of China's ice-and-snow industry is projected to reach one trillion yuan this year.
Sci-tech applications fuel winter sports growth in China
China is willing to provide humanitarian assistance to Cambodia to help resettle displaced people in border areas, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday in Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting with Prak Sokhonn, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Following the signing of a joint statement agreeing to a ceasefire, the Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers are leading delegations meeting in Yunnan from Dec. 28 to 29 at Wang's invitation.
China has been closely following the tense situation on the Cambodia-Thailand border and remains committed to facilitating peace through talks, Wang said, adding that China congratulates both sides on reaching a ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire marks the beginning of peacebuilding, Wang said, calling on the two sides to proceed in a phased and measured approach to promote a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, restore normal interactions, rebuild mutual trust, achieve turnaround in bilateral relations, and uphold peace and stability in the region.
He said that both countries can make good use of this face-to-face opportunity for diplomatic and military representatives to engage in dialogue and communication in a flexible manner, enhance mutual understanding, and build mutual trust. He also expressed hope that all sides would jointly send a message of peace from Yunnan, reach a consensus on peace, and demonstrate prospects for peace.
China supports ASEAN in playing its due role and stands ready to provide assistance to the ASEAN observation mission in monitoring the ceasefire, Wang said.
He added that China also hopes Cambodia will continue to enhance protection for Chinese citizens and projects in the country.
Cambodia highly values China's positive role in mediating the conflict, said Prak Sokhonn, citing the informal tea gathering among the foreign ministers of Cambodia, China and Thailand in Anning, Yunnan Province, as well as shuttle diplomacy conducted by China's special envoy.
Thanks to the joint efforts of China and other parties, Cambodia and Thailand were able to convene a meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission, and their militaries signed a ceasefire agreement, he said.
Sokhonn said Cambodia is ready to work with Thailand to fully implement the ceasefire agreement, make full use of existing dialogue mechanisms, and steadily build mutual trust between the two countries and their armed forces.
These steps, he noted, are vital to restoring bilateral exchanges, normalizing relations, and resolving the boundary issue at an early date.
Cambodia hopes for the early arrival of peace and expects the trilateral meeting to help rebuild lasting stability, he said.
The two sides also exchanged views on China-Cambodia relations, agreeing that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, positive progress has been made in building an all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era.
The Cambodian side expressed gratitude for China's support and assistance to its development, describing China as its most reliable and trusted partner. It reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China principle, its opposition to Taiwan secessionism, and its support for China's reunification cause.
China will deliver humanitarian aid to Cambodia for displaced people along border: Chinese FM
