The Chinese PM emphasizes the development of winter sports and related sectors

(Xinhua/liu bin)

Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang said on Saturday the importance of intensifying the development of winter sports and related industries in order to create new opportunities for the consumption of services and a new growth engine for the economy.

Mr. Li, also a member of the permanent committee of the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, made these remarks during his inspection tour in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang (northeast).

He insisted on the need to exploit distinctive and advantageous resources, to enrich the supply of quality products, to stimulate the vitality of the winter economy and to continuously improve the well-being of the population.

During his visit to the Songhua Ice Ice and Snow Carnival at Harbin, Mr. Li stressed that it was necessary to exploit local resources more to build snow and ice sites accessible to the public and create more attractive and entertaining winter activities.

He urged the province to continue to develop new consumption scenarios and new forms of activity, increase and improve the consumption of services and take advantage of its distinctive advantages to strengthen its development.

The PM then visited a local ice sports center. He noted that the 9th Winter Asian Games that recently concluded had further strengthened public enthusiasm towards winter sports. He thus called to take this opportunity to promote more mass participation in winter activities and develop the industries linked to the equipment of these sports.

During an interview with designers from a local company specializing in culture and tourism, Mr. Li insisted on the need to redouble their efforts to increase the attraction of cultural products related to ice and snow , strengthen the main role of companies in innovation to create more products and services and promote international exchanges and cooperation in this sector.