Chinese President Xi Jinping was welcomed by multiple high-ranking Russian officials upon his arrival in Kazan, the capital city of western Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, on Tuesday.
Xi is in the Russian city to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the Kazan International Airport, the Chinese president was warmly greeted by Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, prime minister of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin, Kazan mayor Ilsur Metshin, and high-ranking officials of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A group of Russian women presented Xi with local specialties to welcome the Chinese president, who was given a Guard of Honor as he made his way on the red carpet.
Xi is set to attend small- and large-group leaders' meetings and the BRICS Plus leaders' dialogue, and will deliver important speeches. Xi will also have in-depth exchange of views with other state leaders on the current international situation, practical BRICS cooperation, the development of the BRICS mechanism and other important issues of common concern.
Xi's entourage, including Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and foreign minister, arrived on the same plane.
The current summit, running from Tuesday to Thursday, is the first to be held after the expansion of the BRICS organization earlier this year.
BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market cooperative mechanism that initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In January, it expanded its membership to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia.
Xi welcomed by high-ranking Russian officials upon arrival at Kazan airport
Xi welcomed by high-ranking Russian officials upon arrival at Kazan airport
China's State Council has unveiled an ambitious plan to grow its ice-and-snow economy, targeting winter sports, tourism and equipment manufacturing as key drivers of economic growth, with a projected value of 1.5 trillion yuan (some 207 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030.
Inspired by the success of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, more and more Chinese citizens are embracing winter sports, with the sport's popularity in the country more than doubled, according to the China Ski Industry White Book.
Excalibur Liu, a 36-year-old ski enthusiast, frequently visits Cuiyunshan Ski Resort in Chongli, a district in Zhangjiakou City in Hebei Province.
"For me, it was love at first sight. About 10 years ago, I experienced skiing in Beijing for the first time, since my hometown is in the warm southwest region of China where it rarely snows in winter. And many people like us are very addicted to winter sports and skiing can bring us excitement and passion. It can also provide a new way to hang out with families and friends," said Liu.
Zhang Dongxu, manager of the ski resort, who also entered the industry a decade ago, has witnessed the industry's remarkable transformation.
"In the past, our ski resorts focused on purely the sports. But as people's pursuits have shifted from material to spiritual, there is now a greater demand for emotional experiences," said Zhang.
Zhang's resort saw a 70-percent increase in number of visitors during the last skiing season. He attributed the surge in skiers to infrastructure improvements from the 2022 Winter Olympics and emphasized the importance of continued government support for winter sports programs in schools.
For 28-year-old Wang Xiaoxu, a Chongli native, the growing ski industry has made a big difference. Previously, her parents had to leave town for work. Now, local job opportunities allow families to stay together.
"This means none of us have to experience being left-behind children. We can stay close to our parents. I feel the ski resort has greatly impacted our lives in many positive ways," Wang said.
To meet the 207-billion-dollar goal by 2030, the industry needs to maintain an annual growth rate of around 7.5 percent, which may be challenging given broader economic conditions.
Laurent Vanat, an international ski industry expert, pointed out that the ski market's growth is not always directly tied to economic trends, and that some regions have been able to ride out the worst impacts of any financial crises.
"The growth of the ski market is not necessarily directly connected to the economic growth. We have seen this, even when there are some economic downturns like the 2008 crisis. In the ski resorts, they [still] had a very good season, especially in some provinces. For instance, in Xinjiang there is an important growth and in Jilin Province, there is also an important growth," he said.
China sets sights on 207 billion USD winter sports economy
