Yesterday afternoon, the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games – Forum on Cooperation among Friendship Cities for Common Development was held with the theme of "Winter Olympics in Beijing, Greater Cooperation for Development". State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video speech, and Gu Xiulian, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress and President of the China-ASEAN Association, made a keynote speech. Chen Jining, Mayor of Beijing and Executive President of Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee and Wang Zhengpu, Deputy Governor of Hebei Province and Executive President of Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, attended the opening ceremony and gave speeches.

Wang Yi said that hosting a successful Beijing Olympic Winter Games is China's solemn commitment to the international community. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the task and President Xi Jinping has paid personal attention to it. During the preparation and organization, China has received strong support and help from the international community, especially international friendship cities, and received good wishes from friends around the world. We believe that the Beijing Olympic Winter Games will definitely build more bridges of friendship and platforms for cooperation between the Chinese people and people of other countries. Currently, the Winter Olympics has entered "Beijing Time", and Beijing will embrace the "Winter Olympics Moment". We are willing to work with the international community to vigorously carry forward the Olympic spirit featuring "mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play", and jointly present a streamlined, safe, and splendid Olympic Games to the world. We are willing to further deepen the solidarity and cooperation with people of all countries, inject more confidence and strength into a world plagued by the pandemic, and work together for a better future.

Chen Jining said that this forum will contribute to the success of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the unity and friendship of the Olympic family, and exchanges and cooperation with international sister cities. Following General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions, Beijing is committed to organizing a green, inclusive, open and clean Games, making green and sustainability the defining feature of the Games, ensuring pandemic response, and promoting the vigorous development of winter sports. Everything that is required for the Games is now in place. The Winter Olympics will be an important opportunity to promote greater openness and exchanges between sister cities. We are confident and capable of bringing the world a streamlined, safe, and splendid Olympics and demonstrating the unique charm of Beijing, a city that has hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Wang Zhengpu said that the Zhangjiakou competition zone in Hebei, as one of the three competition zones of the Beijing Winter Olympics, is the main venue for snow sports. Hebei has advanced the preparation work with the efforts of the whole province and is fully confident and capable of bringing the world a splendid Olympics along with Beijing. Seizing the opportunities presented by the Winter Olympics, Hebei hopes to deepen friendly exchanges between the governments, business communities, youth, and universities of sister cities, advance pragmatic cooperation in industries, science and technology, education, and pandemic response, and strengthen mutual learning between civilizations as well as cultural, policy and people-to-people links, thus contributing to the ever-lasting friendship between sister cities

Ivan Melnikov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma and Chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Association, and Heinz Fischer, former Austrian President and Chairman of Austria-China Friendship Association, delivered online speeches. After the opening ceremony, officials from the governments of sister cities including Tokyo and Athens made remarks on topics of Olympic preparations and organization and social development.

Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Yang Yiwen, a government leader from Beijing Municipality, Yan Pengcheng, a government leader from Hebei, and Dai Binbin, Secretary-General of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, attended the event. About 200 people from 72 sister cities from 23 countries participated in the event online or offline.

(Written by: Yang Qi)