Sports can help promote world peace
Leaders, scholars hail commitment by China to amity, global prosperity
China s tangible commitment to world peace, unity and prosperity were noted by global leaders as they endorsed Beijing s latest diplomatic efforts led by President Xi Jinping amid the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games.
The 19th Asian Games, which opened on Saturday night, are the largest and highest-level comprehensive international sports event organized by China since the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022.
As more than 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries and regions have gathered in scenic Hangzhou, the capital of East China s Zhejiang province, so have a number of world leaders and representatives of international organizations.
At the welcoming banquet held on Saturday for the Games opening, President Xi noted that the day was the autumn equinox, a day of harvest and reunion known as Qiufen on the Chinese lunar calendar.
"As a community with a shared future connected by mountains and rivers as well as cultural affinity, we should use sports to promote peace, pursue good neighborliness and mutual benefit, and reject Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation," he said.
"We should make Asia an anchor of world peace," he added.
Noting that the ongoing Games have set a record for the number of registered athletes and events, Xi said, "We should use sports to promote unity." He called for efforts to "open up broader prospects for the Asian road toward common development, openness and integration".
"We should use sports to promote inclusiveness, enhance confidence in our civilizations, pursue exchanges and mutual learning, and renew the glory of Asian civilizations," he added.
Scholars said that China s hosting of the Asian Games aims to use sports "to advance peace, shore up unity and bolster inclusiveness", and that the latest sports diplomacy led by Xi has been a success.
Xiao Jianzhong, a professor at the School of Marxism of Zhejiang University of Technology, said, "For China, the Hangzhou Asian Games not only are a major sporting event, but also serve as an important event for diplomacy rolled out at home, as well as an important stage for exchange among various civilizations in Asia."
From Friday to Saturday in Hangzhou, Xi embarked on a number of bilateral meetings with the visiting Asian leaders of six nations and the heads of the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Olympic Committee.
The meetings with the prominent figures took place at a State guesthouse at West Lake, a scenic tourist destination in Hangzhou.
As this year marks the 10th anniversary of Xi s proposing the concept of China seeking "amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness" with its neighbors, the president referred on Saturday to this principle during his talks with foreign leaders.
Speaking with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Xi said that China-Cambodia relations epitomize this principle, and he noted China s commitment to good-neighborliness and partnership with its neighbors in its diplomacy in the region.
The king hailed the two-way iron-clad, brotherly relations, saying that his country stands ready to work with China on Belt and Road cooperation and build a Cambodia-China community with a shared future.
IOC President Thomas Bach told Xi on Friday, "I believe there will be successful and wonderful Asian Games that will promote the unity and friendship of Asia."
He said the IOC is committed to safeguarding the nonpoliticization of sport, which is broadly supported by the world community, and it endorses China s correct position on this.
Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said President Xi s proposals to build on the Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative are "based on the noble goals and tenets of promoting the peace and progress of mankind", which Kuwait firmly supports and actively participates in.
Observers noted that Beijing s consistent pursuit of world prosperity and peace could also be seen in two joint statements released following Xi s talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and with Timor-Leste s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
In the two statements, China announced the establishment of a strategic partnership with Syria and a comprehensive strategic partnership with Timor-Leste.
Co-building the Belt and Road as well as a community with a shared future for mankind, bolstering local livelihoods and "jointly advancing genuine multilateralism" in the international arena are among common points of consensus noted in the two statements.
Ma Xiaolin, a professor and director of Zhejiang International Studies University s Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim, said China, as a major developing country and the world s second-largest economy, "has never forgotten its social responsibility as a major country in Asia and the world".
The Hangzhou Asian Games are the city s "biggest stage to showcase China s image to the outside world and to promote face-to-face exchanges among people from all countries" since Hangzhou hosted the G20 Summit seven years ago, he said.
Yasir Habib Khan, a writer for The Nation, Pakistan s leading newspaper, noted that cricket s return to the Asian Games and its inclusion in the Hangzhou events "is a pivotal moment for the sport and for China s diplomatic endeavors", as teams of both Pakistan and India now may have the chance to embark on friendly rivalry at the games.
The inclusion of cricket in the Asian Games "showcases China s commitment to using sports as a bridge for international engagement and cooperation", he wrote.
The Asian Games in Hangzhou serve as "testament to the power of sports to unite nations, break down barriers, and craft a shared narrative of friendship and cooperation on the global stage", he added.
续写亚洲文明新辉煌
——习近平主席在杭州第十九届亚洲运动会开幕式欢迎宴会上发表致辞引发强烈共鸣
新华社杭州9月23日电 9月23日中午，国家主席习近平在杭州第十九届亚洲运动会开幕式欢迎宴会上发表热情洋溢的致辞，欢迎远道而来出席杭州亚运会开幕式的国际贵宾。
海内外各界表示，正如习近平主席在致辞中所说，亚洲运动会承载着亚洲人民对和平、团结、包容的美好向往。杭州亚运会的举办，必将促进亚洲各国加强合作应对挑战，不断增强文明自信和交流互鉴，共同续写亚洲文明新辉煌。
呈现“中国特色、亚洲风采、精彩纷呈”的体育盛会
8年亚运筹办，从搭班子、夯基础开始，杭州一步一个脚印，对场馆、保障、竞赛等各方面进行规划推进。
习近平主席在致辞中说，自申办以来，中国认真履行承诺，全力推进各项筹办工作。
杭州亚组委执行秘书长、杭州市副市长陈卫强深有感触地说，本届亚运会以杭州为主办城市，宁波、温州、湖州、绍兴、金华为协办城市，立足地方资源禀赋与文化特色，充分体现了浙江集中力量办好亚运的信心和决心。
曾参加过2008年北京奥运会、2010年广州亚运会的马来西亚奥委会副主席张金发，是此次马来西亚杭州亚运会代表团团长。“这次杭州亚运会盛况空前，报名规模、项目数量均创历史新高，彰显了亚洲人民对杭州亚运会的热切期盼和坚定支持。”张金发说，马来西亚代表团将把最好的一面展现出来，让世界上其他国家和地区都能看到亚洲的开放与发展。
筹办亚运8年间，亚奥理事会代理总干事维诺德已经记不清是第几次来到杭州，但每次来到这里，他都会有新的发现。
“在历届亚运会中，我认为杭州亚运会是最环保最智能的一届。杭州基础设施和体育场馆的设计完全遵循绿色理念，无论是新的数字应用还是绿色低碳的场馆和出行方式，都可以为未来的亚运会提供经验和参照。”维诺德说。
承载人民对和平、团结、包容的美好向往
“亚洲运动会承载着亚洲人民对和平、团结、包容的美好向往。”习近平主席在致辞中阐明深意。
从2022年10月至2023年6月，传递团结、友爱、协作精神的“迎杭州亚运会趣味跑”活动从柬埔寨金边出发，一路经过亚洲多个国家和地区，吸引近万人参与。活动执行负责人杨倩说，和平是人类共同的利益，杭州亚运会承载着亚洲人民对和平的向往。
“习近平主席指出，践行 永远向前 的亚奥理事会格言。这激励我们为了心中梦想不断前行。”杭州亚运会开幕式中国体育代表团旗手覃海洋说，自己在比赛中既要展现优异的运动成绩，也要进一步发扬体育精神，通过体育促进团结，让各国人民都感受到中国体育的进步。
“当前，人类面临的全球性挑战前所未有。如何应对？习近平主席给出指引：以体育促团结，把握历史机遇，合作应对挑战。”上海体育大学竞技运动学院院长高炳宏说，近年来我国在竞技体育国际合作领域取得了重要成果，成为以体育促团结、以合作促发展的生动范例。
在杭州亚运会上，吉祥物“琮琮”“莲莲”“宸宸”热情张开双臂，向八方宾朋传递快乐与友爱。
“ 莲莲 代表西湖，头上覆盖着一整片莲叶，莲叶的茎脉象征着 万物互联 。”杭州亚运会吉祥物的主要设计者之一张文说，通过这些设计，我们向世界传达开放、包容与热情的信号，让共同发展、开放融通的亚洲之路越走越宽。
“亚运会设置了诸多富有亚洲特色的比赛项目，为体育和文化交相辉映提供了舞台。围棋作为中国传统棋种，深刻体现着诸多中国传统价值观。”浙江省围棋队主教练蓝天说，希望能让更多人在黑白之间品味亚洲文化兼收并蓄、博采众长、充满活力的特点。
在前不久举行的贵州榕江“村超”上夺得冠军的车江一村足球队球员陈兴洋，对习近平主席致辞中“以体育促包容，增强文明自信，坚持交流互鉴”感触很深。
“ 村超 能够吸引大批国内外观众到场参与，关键在于足球文化与当地民俗得到了很好的融合。”陈兴洋表示，将继续用好这一对外交流的桥梁纽带，讲好新时代中国故事。
共同续写文明新辉煌
作为本届亚运会的主办城市，杭州历史文化底蕴深厚。习近平主席在致辞中引用宋代欧阳修《有美堂记》“山水登临之美，人物邑居之繁”的名句和马可·波罗“世界上最美丽华贵之天城”的赞誉，向国际贵宾介绍杭州。
“杭州是传承千年文化的古都之一，对中华文明乃至世界文明作出了重要贡献。”浙江省博物馆馆长陈水华表示，将继续致力于展示中华优秀传统文化、开展中外文明交流互鉴，让“浙”里的故事唱得更响、传得更远。
“习近平主席曾对浙江寄语 干在实处、走在前列、勇立潮头 ，此次又强调了浙江 中国式现代化的先行者 的定位，为浙江以 两个先行 打造 重要窗口 进一步指明了方向。”浙江省发展改革委主任杜旭亮说，将始终把高质量发展作为首要任务，推动浙江在中国式现代化的宽广大道上奋勇向前。
曾承担北京亚运会城市规划和场馆建设任务的北京市城市规划设计研究院原院长柯焕章认为，在国内举办的三届亚运会见证了我国迈向体育强国的发展过程和经济社会发展的历史性变化。“逐步壮大的体育产业丰富了百姓生活，促进了城市基础设施建设，一代又一代人的努力得到了回报，我们对未来充满期待。”
“习近平主席指出，坚持交流互鉴，续写亚洲文明新辉煌。我们青年一代责无旁贷。”来自浙江理工大学的赛会志愿者陈杨槟说，他将以热情周到的服务，带给各国宾客宾至如归的温暖，为促进不同文化交流贡献自己的力量。
钱塘江畔，亚运圣火熊熊燃烧。来自广东的马术三项赛运动员梁锐基对即将开启的比赛充满期待。
“非常荣幸能够作为中国代表团一员参加杭州亚运会，我和队友们将以最饱满的热情，与亚洲各国各地区运动员一道，在亚运圣火下留下无悔的奋斗记忆。”梁锐基说。