China's winter sports equipment market is gaining momentum in expansion by focusing on green innovation and attracting international buyers.
This winter, companies in Qitaihe City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province are ramping up their production to meet the growing demand for winter sports equipment.
They are investing in technological reforms and developing new products such as helmets and blade supports, with a particular emphasis on customized services.
For example, ice skates produced in the city are now using carbon fiber, which enhances both comfort and performance.
"Our customized skates are made of carbon fiber material, offering good fit and comfort," said Zhu Degui, a technical staff member from a local sports equipment enterprise.
In 2024, the recognition of Qitaihe's ice skate products in the international market was increased significantly.
The city has established partnerships with countries like Hungary, Russia, and Canada, selling over 30,000 pairs of winter sports equipment, marking a 10 percent increase from the previous year.
"We have built an ice and snow economic industrial park and introduced relevant enterprises. In the next step, we will take the 9th Asian Winter Games as an opportunity to help enterprises extend the industrial and supply chains, expand the market, and fully promote the rapid development of the ice and snow economy," said Li Shuning, director of Culture and Tourism Bureau of Taoshan District in the city.
In east China's Zhejiang Province, Ninghai County of Ningbo City also has a deep-rooted ski pole industry which has grwon significantly.
The town of Shenzhen in Ninghai is home to 34 ski pole manufacturers, producing over 15 million poles annually.
This accounts for 60 percent of the global market share, with products mainly exported to Europe and North America.
Data indicates that the town's sports rod industry generates over 920 million yuan (about 130 million U.S. dollars) annually, comprising more than 75 percent of the national total for similar products.
More than 90 percent of this value is derived from exports, primarily to the United States, Germany, France, and other European and American markets.
"After more than 20 years of development, our town has formed a complete industrial chain system to achieve a good trend of cluster development in the region," said Chen Yunsong, the town mayor.
China's winter sports equipment experiences green innovation, market expansion
An official from China's Ministry of Commerce told American enterprises on Sunday that the country will continue to protect the rights of foreign-invested enterprises in China, including those funded by the United States.
Ling Ji, vice minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, made the remarks while hosting a roundtable meeting in Beijing with representatives from over 20 U.S.-funded enterprises, including Tesla, GE Healthcare, and Medtronic.
Speaking at the meeting, Ling said that despite the changes in the international situation, China's commitment to reform and opening up remains unwavering. Multilateralism is the inevitable choice for addressing the difficulties and challenges facing the world. China's door to opening up will only widen, and its policies regarding foreign investment have not changed and will not change.
The Ministry of Commerce will continue to provide protection for foreign-invested enterprises in China, including U.S.-funded enterprises, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-invested enterprises in accordance with the law, and actively promoting the resolution of issues raised by foreign-invested enterprises, according to the vice minister.
China has been all along, as it is now, and will continue to be an ideal, secure, and promising land for foreign investment, Ling noted.
Ling also stressed that the U.S., under various pretexts, has recently abused tariffs on all trading partners, including China, severely damaging the rules-based multilateral trade system and infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of various countries. The Chinese government strongly condemns and firmly opposes this and has taken decisive countermeasures in response.
He pointed out that the root of the tariff issue lies in the U.S. It is hoped that U.S.-funded enterprises will trace the origin, clarify cause and effect, send rational voices, and take practical actions to jointly maintain the stability of the global supply chain and promote cooperation and mutual benefit.
These remarks were made as China announced countermeasures on Friday against the U.S. decision to impose "reciprocal tariffs" on Chinese exports, including the imposition of an additional 34-percent tariff on all products imported from the U.S. starting from April 10, as well as filing a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization regarding the U.S. "reciprocal tariffs".
China committed to protecting rights of foreign-funded enterprises: official
