A stage for enhancing unity

    Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal also emphasized the importance of unity. In a recent interview with Xinhua before his official visit to China, the Nepali Prime Minister said he believes the Asian Games will create a very positive and conducive atmosphere for the unity of Asian people.

    "While Asia is rising, we must uphold Asian unity, we must connect our people heart to heart for the shared and sustained prosperity," the Nepali Prime Minister said.

    The first Asian Games was held in 1951 in India. Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Friday that the Asian Games was born after WWII, when a large group of Asian countries, which had been bullied and colonized, were seeking revitalization and real autonomy, and recognized the importance of strengthening unity and exchange. "That significance of the Asian Games remains until today," said Wang.

    Some Western media outlets hyped that hosting the Asian Games "reflects misplaced priorities" when the economic and social atmosphere in China are at a low after the three-year pandemic. However, analysts believe that Western media are making a fundamental mistake due to a sour grapes mentality.

    The funding for organizing the Asian Games is not something that was considered just before the opening ceremony, but from the time the bid was successful, namely 2015, when the country began working on its budget, Wang said.

    It is actually a positive thing that China was still able to meet the budget for the Asian Games in Hangzhou despite the country spending a large portion of its financial resources on epidemic prevention and control over the past three years, he added.

    And in fact, China is not the country that has hosted the Asian Games the most times - Thailand has hosted it four times, South Korea has hosted it three times, and Japan has hosted it twice in its historyand is the next host of the 2026 Asian Games.

    At a time when some countries are having difficulties in bidding for the Asian Games due to sports, economic and international political reasons, China has built a stage of unity for Asian countries through the Games in Hangzhou, which shows that the China today is not only powerful but also trustworthy, Wang remarked.

    Prelude to the 'Asian Era'

    Development and prosperity are not just a solo show for China, but a symphony belonging to all Asian countries, analysts said. ASEAN has been China's top trading partner for three consecutive years. In 2023, important multilateral platforms, such as the G20 Summit, and the SCO Summit were hosted in Asia.

    The hosting of the Asian Games in Hangzhou is a prelude to the coming of the Asian era, highlighting the current prosperity and stability of Asia, which is also the cornerstone of global prosperity and security, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.

    Leaders and senior officials of Asian countries, through the platform of the Asian Games, communicate with each other, enhance understanding and carry out various activities, which demonstrate that the Asian era is an all-round, diversified, harmonious symbiosis and co-development era, Li said.

    In 1990, the world was on the eve of a dramatic change after the end of the Cold War, and in 2010, the world felt an urgent need for cooperation due to the financial crisis. The world is also at a critical juncture in 2023 when the US is creating bloc confrontation and sowing discord in the world.

    Through hosting the Hangzhou Asian Games, China is upholding the banner of cooperation, equality, development, and promoting a more inclusive coexistence in the world, according to the expert.

    China embraces an interconnected and truly globalized world; it hopes to permanently bridge the gap between nations and civilizations, and to promote cooperation and prosperity among different countries. At the same time, China is striving to bring more countries together to address the various challenges of global governance, Li said.