China announced on Friday its 1,274-member delegation for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with 815 athletes set to compete across 38 sports and 369 events.
Led by 36 Olympic champions, the squad has an average age of 24. Over a quarter of the athletes are 20 or under and most will be making their Asian Games debuts.
Among the team staff, there are 69 overseas specialists from 24 countries and regions including Australia, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Britain.
Diver Wang Zongyuan said on behalf of the athletes that the Asian Games represents the highest-level comprehensive sporting event in Asia and serves as a genuine test of the preparation, and they will showcase China's standard and strength on the regional and global stage.
Since 1982, China has topped both the gold medal and overall medal tables at 11 consecutive Asian Games editions, according to Gao Zhidan, director of the China's General Administration of Sport and chef de mission of China's delegation, adding that China will strive to maintain its leading position at the Games.
The 2026 Asian Games will run from September 19 to October 4, featuring 43 sports and athletes from 45 countries and regions.
China announces 1,274-member delegation for Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
Overseas healthcare and medical firms, from first-time to longtime exhibitors, are using the ongoing 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai as a platform to tap China's fast-growing market and reach Asian consumers.
The CIIE, running from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai, has attracted 4,142 overseas exhibitors across more than 440,000 square meters, with over 480 exhibits making their global, Asian or China debut, the highest number in the event's history.
In the medical equipment and healthcare zone, both first-time and returning exhibitors are showcasing products and seeking deeper access to the Chinese market.
For Biosan AS, a Norwegian nutrition and health supplement brand, this year marks its CIIE debut. The company is using the Shanghai showcase to roll out seven new products for the Asian market, betting that China's rapidly expanding health sector offers the right entry point.
"This is our first time to attend the CIIE. We are introducing seven new launches to the Asian markets at this exhibition. We think the Chinese market is a really fast-growing health market, it's a great place for us to start to show the products to the Asian consumers," said a representative of Biosan AS.
For returning exhibitors, the expo has delivered tangible market growth and reinforced their confidence in deepening their presence in China.
"So we have been to CIIE many times. It definitely helps a lot as a U.S. brand to enter the Chinese market and we really appreciate the opportunities that China opening-up policies has brought us," said a U.S. exhibitor.
Another exhibitor, back for a second year, described a three- to five-fold revenue increase after its first CIIE appearance.
"We first attended the CIIE last year, and our brand's revenue grew three- to five-fold. We hope the expo will help us further expand our brand influence, win more orders and partnerships. We are also working with universities on the Chinese mainland on joint research to advance industry-academia-research integration," said the exhibitor.
Several foreign companies said that their operations in China are moving beyond simply importing overseas products: they are ramping up production investment, co-building clinical research programs and assembling fuller industrial ecosystems on the ground.
"These technologies are being rolled out from our China factories, based in the Yangtze River Delta. We are very optimistic about the Chinese market and are continuing to invest across various aspects and pursue ongoing technological iteration," said an exhibitor.
Global firms eye China's fast-growing health market at 9th CIIE
