China and Japan pledge mutual support as Olympic hosts

Chinese ambassador to Japan seeks assurance from Games organisers that Chinese athletes will be safe in Tokyo

Resurgence of coronavirus outbreaks in Japan’s capital has prompted a new state of emergency until August 22

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Police officers walk past one of the entrances to the Olympic Village in Tokyo on July 13, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which begin on July 23. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:14pm, 13 Jul 2021Updated: 3:02pm, 13 Jul 2021

China has pledged to support Japan as host of the summer Olympics and said it would send a big team to the Games, but called for measures to ensure participants’ safety.

In a meeting with Tokyo Olympic Committee chairwoman Seiko Hashimoto on Monday, China’s ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou said the leaders of China and Japan reached an important consensus to support each other in hosting the Games.

“China actively supports Japan in hosting the Tokyo Olympic Games and is willing to continue to provide assistance within its capacity. China will send a big team to participate in the Games, hoping that the Tokyo Olympic Committee will ensure the safety of Chinese Olympic athletes,” an embassy statement quoted Kong as saying.

“The preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics are progressing smoothly and have won the recognition of the International Olympic Committee.

“It is hoped that China and Japan will take the opportunity to host the Olympic Games in succession to carry out various exchanges and cooperation on Olympics and sports, injecting new impetus into the improvement and development of bilateral relations.”

China plans to send more than 400 athletes to the Tokyo Olympics which are expected to run from July 23 until August 8 after being postponed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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