People visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, January 1, 2024. Photo: VCG

The under-construction China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Ice and Snow Sports Demonstration Zone in Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province will provide a new platform for international cooperation in the field of ice and snow sports, driving the public service and product system in related areas to a new level, the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Zhang Ming told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

According to the Harbin Municipal People's Government on Friday, the city is working toward a high-quality, high-standard construction of the core area in the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Ice and Snow Sports Demonstration Zone.

Zhang told the Global Times that China has been promoting cooperation and development in various fields of the SCO, making important contributions to the people-to-people exchanges and cooperation within the framework of the organization, including sports.

Currently, the construction of the demonstration zone is underway, with the overall construction plan having been determined, and the main focus is on the renovation of existing ice and snow venues to meet competition standards. Heilongjiang Province and Harbin city are also vigorously promoting the development of ice and snow sports and relevant equipment industry, as well as ice and snow tourism, so as to create a better social foundation for the Harbin Asian Winter Games scheduled in 2025.

According to Zhang, the construction of the demonstration zone is divided into two phases. The first phase aims to establish and improve the management system and mechanism of the demonstration zone by 2025, while the second aims to complete the construction of the demonstration zone comprehensively by 2028.

Zhang said Heilongjiang Province is not only rich in ice and snow resources, but also an important base for winter sports. The city of Harbin has unique conditions for the development of winter sports and has ranked first in ice and snow tourism among Chinese cities in the past five years.

"Since this winter, Harbin has become popular nationwide and worldwide, and I have personally experienced its charm and popularity," said Zhang after he had an on-site investigation starting from January 23 with a delegation made up of dozens of senior officials working at foreign embassies and consulates in China.

After the demonstration zone is completed, it will become a demonstration base for mass ice and snow sports and a new platform for international cooperation in the field of ice and snow sports, driving the public service and product system in related areas to a new level, Zhang told the Global Times. It will also play a positive role in promoting cooperation among member states of the SCO in ice and snow sports, tourism, industry development, and cultural exchanges, he added. "This is an important contribution made by China and the SCO to the 2025 Asian Winter Games."

Additionally, Zhang shared with the Global Times the key issues on which the SCO, representing one of the voices from the Global South, will strengthen cooperation in 2024 to contribute to global peace and development.

Zhang noted that the purpose of the establishment of the SCO is to deepen mutual trust and friendly neighborly relations among member states, maintain regional peace, security, and stability, encourage mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and promote the economic, social, and cultural development of member states. "Regardless of how the international situation changes in the future, the original intention of the SCO will not change, and our work focus will be on the aforementioned directions," Zhang said.

Zhang added that the SCO is an organization that keeps pace with the times. With the development of the SCO and changes in the international situation, the specific work of the organization will be adjusted. The Global South is a grouping of emerging market and developing countries, while all SCO member states are developing countries. "We support cooperation that adheres to the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development," Zhang noted.

At the SCO Summit in July in 2023, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev comprehensively expounded on the working plan and identified priorities, which covered various aspects including politics, security, economy, and humanities, as Kazakhstan is the rotating chair of the SCO in 2024.

"I would like to emphasize that as 2024 marks the SCO Year of Ecology, ecological and environmental cooperation will be our focus. Traditional areas such as politics, economy, trade, investment, security, humanities, and connectivity, as well as emerging fields such as new energy and digital technology, are also important directions of our work," Zhang said.