President Xi Jinping opened China’s 15th National Games in Guangzhou on Sunday, on a night filled with symbolism and heavy on emphasising the role the Greater Bay Area will play in the country’s future.
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As might be expected from an opening ceremony at a major sporting occasion in China, there was a stunning mix of old and new on display, with water at its centre and fire at its end.
Hong Kong, co-hosting for the first time in its history, was well represented too, not just by its athletes and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, but by Cantopop stars Andy Lau Tak-wah and Joey Yung Cho-yee as well.
Not for the first time, Xi said little other than to declare the Games open, but he had done his talking earlier in the day, when he met International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry and her predecessor, Thomas Bach.
There he hailed the region encompassing Hong Kong, and co-hosts Macau and Guangdong, as one of the country’s most open and economically dynamic and pledged continued support for its development.
“We believe this National Games will not only showcase new achievements in China’s sports development in the new era, but also present the vibrant landscape of Chinese modernisation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area,” said Xi, who was attending the Games for the fourth time as state leader.