Hoopsters Laying Future Foundations Team China Trusts in Youth As Rebuild Project Looks to Paris Olympics
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20 | Wednesday, June 16, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY SPORTS BASKETBALL Hoopsters laying future foundations Team China trusts in youth as rebuild project looks to Paris Olympics By SUN XIAOCHEN [email protected] Although booking a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics appears virtually impossible for Team China’s hoop- sters, that doesn’t mean they will be taking things easy at their forthcom- ing qualifying tournament in Cana- da. On the contrary, the men’s Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association, chats national team is treating the event with Yi Jianlian, who will sit out the Asian Cup qualifiers due to as the perfect opportunity to plan injuries, during Team China training in Beijing. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY for the future. The Chinese Basketball Associa- Mingxuan, last season’s CBA Finals tion has, therefore, picked a largely MVP, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls’ inexperienced squad in the hope sharp-shooting guard Wu Qian, that the stiff competition that awaits Rather than who was the regular-season MVP, in Canada can hone the youngsters expecting impressive and Liaoning’s veteran playmaker for the next Olympic cycle and the Zhao will run China’s offense on the Paris 2024 Games. international results, I back court. China failed to secure Asia’s only think we’d better Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, direct berth to Tokyo at the 2019 the team has been deprived of inter- FIBA World Cup tournament at readjust our goals for national warm-ups for the tourna- home, so is now embarking on a the national teams.” ments, leaving the coaching staff rebuilding project. with limited information to develop Before their Canadian trip, Team Zhou Qi defends as Zhang Zhenlin muscles his way to the basket during a Team China practice game in Du Feng, game plans. Team China head coach China will first compete at the 2021 Beijing on June 8. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY “To keep fighting no matter what Asian Cup qualifying event in the the score is and never give up is the Philippines, where they will play mentality we need for this journey,” Japan and Chinese Taipei twice each the domestic league’s reliance on the 2019 World Cup, its worst-ever ippines on Sunday, only four — “Hopefully I can continue making said Du, adding that the squad has from Wednesday to Sunday, before foreign players. result at the tournament. guard Zhao Jiwei, center Zhou Qi, a positive impact on the team, lead- been working on rebounding, fast group games against the host and “At least in my career as a player A member of the national squad forward Ren Junfei and captain ing by example and motivating the breaks and 3-point shooting. Greece — two opponents loaded and a coach, this is the toughest that produced the country’s best-ev- Zhou Peng — have previously repre- young players with my standards According to the CBA, upon arriv- with NBA players — on July 1 and 2 moment ever for the national pro- er eighth-place finish at the 2008 sented the country internationally. and experience,” said Zhou Peng, al at the squad’s recent training respectively. gram,” said head coach Du Feng, a Beijing Olympics, Du has urged for Long-time national team leader who was named the CBA’s Defensive camp in Beijing, each player Only the winner of the Canadian former Team China player. patience to restore those halcyon Yi Jianlian and prolific guard Guo Player of the Year last season and received a motivational letter which tournament will qualify for the “Rather than expecting impress- days. Ailun were ruled out through injury, helped Guangdong win a record-ex- read: “Prove yourself, for redemp- Tokyo Olympics, which are sched- ive international results, I think “We will keep the doors open to taking a toll on the team’s offensive tending 11th league title. tion, for the team, for the country.” uled to open on July 23. we’d better readjust our goals for the young players eager to fight for the options yet opening up more oppor- Joining Zhou Peng on the front “Whatever the results might be, I The harsh reality is that China national team as we are focusing on country, and we have to allow the tunities for the youngsters. court will be his Guangdong team- hope they can show the sense of will almost certainly miss the Olym- nurturing the young players and youngsters to make mistakes and In Yi’s absence, Zhou Peng, who mate Ren, the Xinjiang Flying responsibility during the games that pics for the first time since the coun- giving them enough time and tests learn from the international chal- missed the 2019 World Cup due to Tigers’ former NBA center Zhou Qi, they play for their country,” said the try’s Games debut in 1984, to grow in the right way,” added Du, lenges,” he said. injury, is expected to lead the squad, and Liaoning Leopards rookie for- 33-year-old Yi, the team’s long-time prompting the CBA to overhaul its who took the reins after Team China Of the 14 players in the Team Chi- which has an average age of 25 on ward Zhang Zhenlin. backbone since the retirement of player development model and ease finished 24th among 32 squads at na roster that departed for the Phil- both ends of the floor. Young Guangdong guard Hu legend Yao Ming. Xi’an high-tech zone prioritizes innovating to drive high-quality growth tion companies, 146 small giant By Yuan SHENGGao 51 companies, and 69 gazelle compa- key projects nies. As the cradle and gathering place are expected to be launched in In 2020, the average operating of hardcore science and technology the second quarter of this year income of those companies totaled innovation, the Xi’an Hi-Tech Indus- in the Xi’an high-tech zone 118 million yuan, with net profit tries Development Zone in Shaanxi reaching 14.86 million yuan. Those province has been accelerating con- figures contributed to 7.36 million struction of the region’s innovation- cal achievements, the zone is com- yuan in taxes and created 36,000 driven platform and achieve high- mitted to building a large platform jobs. quality economic development, for the transformation of Shaanxi’s In recent years, these companies local officials said. scientific and technological achieve- have obtained 4,695 valid patents The zone prioritizes the construc- ments. and 1,238 valid invention patents tion of key projects for its high-qual- By the end of the 14th Five-Year while also participating in the for- ity development. Plan (2021-26), the Silk Road Sci- mulation of 245 standards, includ- In the second quarter of this year, ence City will host 500,000 people ing 86 national standards and 159 the zone plans to launch 51 major and achieve an economic scale of 1 industry standards. projects in areas such as high-end trillion yuan. The high value of these companies manufacturing, the service indus- By 2035, it will host 1.5 million is reflected in their listing financing. try, infrastructure, new materials, people and its economic scale will Of them, 69 companies have information technology, people’s exceed 3 trillion yuan, driving the received equity financing, with a livelihood and urban planning with total economic scale of the Xi’an total amount of 7.97 billion yuan. a total investment of 116.54 billion high-tech zone to 5 trillion yuan. Nearly half of them have plans to go yuan ($18.2 billion). Total year The vast potential of its economic Representatives attend the signing ceremony of key projects during the Global Key & Core Technology public, and 25 companies have been investment is expected to reach 37.2 scale has become an important Conference that opened in the Xi’an high-tech zone. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY successfully listed. billion yuan. showcase for the construction of As a pioneering zone for high- Earlier this month, the Global Key & Xi’an as a national central city. quality development, the zone must Core Technology Conference opened In its 30 years of development, the ite materials, silicon carbide ceramic the hardcore technology industry, tic and foreign companies listed in lead the way in achieving carbon in the Xi’an high-tech zone to further Xi’an high-tech zone has prioritized composite materials, vertical cavity the Xi’an high-tech zone has contin- 2020. That number is a record high. peaks and neutrality, and set an strengthen interconnection, exchange technological innovation, created surface emitting lasers, the first IoT ued to innovate financial service To support the listing of enterpris- example to provide scientific and and cooperation in the field of hard- the country’s first hardcore techno- core chip, the Qiming 910 AI acceler- methods. es, the Xi’an high-tech zone has set technological support and solutions core science and technology. logical innovation demonstration ation chip, the Qiming 920 AI accel- By strengthening the links up a “five-specialized policy” and a for the country’s overall emission It also served to promote the trans- zone, deepened the reform of the eration chip and the first set of GPS between banks and government, it dynamic gradient cultivation mech- reduction. fer and transformation of scientific scientific and technological system chipsets. has signed strategic cooperation anism to provide full-chain assist- According to Qi Haibing, director and technological achievements as and focused on the development of It contains a large number of agreements with the China Develop- ance for enterprises to go public. of the management committee of well as the deep integration of the artificial intelligence and aero- world-leading hardcore scientific ment Bank, the Export-Import Bank The zone has issued nearly 60 sup- the zone, the Xi’an high-tech zone industrial chains.