Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2019 China-Finland Year of Winter Sports in Beijing on January 15， marking the fi rst sports-themed year between the two countries.

China and Finland published a joint declaration in 2017 to carry out cooperation in winter sports in preparation for the Olympic Winter Games 2022 which will be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou in north Chinas Hebei Province.

Finland， a leader in winter sports and the ice-snow industry， has won over 40 gold medals at Olympic Winter Games. China， on the other hand， is a beginner in the ice-snow industry， and the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the area.