The Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games, the largest winter multi-sports event in Asia, is in full swing. Sport truly unites the Asian family. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Philippines.

Looking ahead to China's peripheral security risks in 2025, many analyses have mentioned the constant provocations in the South China Sea from the Philippines and the frequent links between the Philippines and the United States. At the same time, however, the Philippines sent 20 athletes to the Harbin Asian Winter Games this time around, the largest participation ever, in a practical move to highlight Asian unity and friendship.

"Asian countries have a history of friendly exchanges among themselves, and sports exchanges are an important part of exchanges among Asian people. Although some countries have island or territorial disputes, this should not be an obstacle to people-to-people exchanges. The experience of sports exchanges between China and the Philippines holds important lessons for Asian countries, including China and the Philippines, to get along with each other", said Professor Xu Liping, Director of Center for South East Asian Studies, National Institute of International Strategy (NIIS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), in an interview with China Youth Daily.

Xu noted that sports exchanges show the way to peaceful development, and island disputes should be resolved peacefully instead of relying on major powers and engaging in military maneuvers, which contradict the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes.

Image generated by AI

The Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games is another major comprehensive international sports event that China hosts after the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Recently, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov were invited to visit China and attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Winter Games. 

What new opportunities will this bring for China's engagement with its neighbours? Xu analyzed that sports exchanges are an important bridge to enhance people-to-people communication and political mutual trust. The visits of leaders from countries that have jointly built the Belt and Road, the deepening of cooperation in the areas of facility connectivity and trade facilitation are expected to promote Asian connectivity to a new height.

"Given the current uncertainties in the world situation, it is particularly important for Asia, as an important engine of global economic growth, to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among countries." Xu said. (By Ma Ziqian/China Youth Daily)