Han Zhiqiang Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Thailand
The sunlight-ignited Olympic flame for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games embarked on its way from the ancient Olympia in Greece, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games, to China last week and has successfully arrived in Beijing.
In another 100 days, the XXIV Olympic Winter Games will unfold in Beijing, China from 4 to 20 February 2022, and the Olympic flame will be lit again at the Beijing National Stadium. This is a return. Beijing will become the world's first "double-Olympic city" to have hosted both Summer and Winter Olympics.
Now is the time of the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the moment, China is in intense and busy preparations for the Winter Olympics. Preparatory work such as international test competitions, cross-competition-zones comprehensive rehearsals, and the overall plan of the opening and closing ceremony has started one after another. China is actively cooperating with other countries and international sports organizations. On the premise of being fully and well prepared in pandemic prevention and control, China is striving to contribute a "simple, safe and splendid" Olympic Games to the world.
Successfully hosting an excellent Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics is China's solemn commitment to the international community. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in personal care about the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, has made many on-the-spot inspections and put forward the idea of "green, inclusive, open and clean", which is exactly an expression of China's new development philosophy and which persists in the whole preparation process for Beijing Winter Olympics. To hold a green Olympic Games, priority must be given to ecological preservation, resources conservation and environmental friendliness, so as to lay a beautiful Chinese background for the Winter Olympics. To host an inclusive Olympic Games, efforts must be made for extensive participation, joint contribution and common enjoyment, so as to generate good social effect of the Winter Olympics. To host an open Olympic Games, we must stay oriented to the world, the future, and modernization, so as to render the Winter Olympic Games into a booster for opening to the outside world. To run a clean Olympic Games, we must be diligent and thrifty, eliminate corruption, improve efficiency, maintain zero tolerance for doping, and make the Winter Olympics as pure as ice and snow.
In another 100 days, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will begin. Each time as the Olympic Games approach, a bridge leading to the ancient Olympic spirit will be built again. This bridge will let the ancient Olympic spirit shine into the reality and the future. The Olympic spirit of "mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play" entrusted to the Olympic Charter is highly consistent with President Xi Jinping's idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Currently, the world is undergoing the intertwined implications of major and profound changes unseen in a century and a once-in-a-century pandemic, with world peace and development confronted with severe tests. As a community with a shared future, mankind should be more united and go hand in hand to jointly meet unprecedented challenges. In July this year, the IOC added "Together" into the Olympic motto as "Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together", whereas the motto of Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics is "Together for a Shared Future", which represents an interpretation of the Chinese action plan of the Olympic motto and a call for enhanced solidarity and cooperation under the Olympic flag to overcome difficulties and ignite the flame of hope of mankind to together move towards the future.
My hometown is in Northeast China. Thanks to its natural advantages, the region has nurtured many excellent ice and snow athletes and cultivated many Winter Olympic champions, which has endowed me with a special feeling towards ice and snow sports. To my happy surprise, although Thailand is located in the tropics and devoid of the natural conditions required for most ice and snow sports, the development of ice and snow sports here and Thai people's yearning and love for ice and snow sports have not been hindered. At present, many Thai ice and snow athletes and their teams are preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The Chinese Embassy is also sparing no effort to provide guarantee and assistance for Thai athletes to realize their dream of the Winter Olympics.
In another 100 days, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will open, coinciding with the Beginning of Spring in the Chinese lunar calendar. Please accept, then, the sincere invitation of the 1.4 billion Chinese people to "Meet in Beijing" with the world. Let's await the kindling and blooming of the Olympic flame at the Beijing Winter Olympics; let's cheer for the Olympic athletes of our two countries together; and let's hope that, under the guidance of the Olympic spirit, people all over the world will work together, help each other and cooperate for win-win outcomes to jointly create a better future.