This week on Weekly China Recap with Xing Zheming, we take you inside one of the most symbolic events in China this year — the 15th National Games, hosted for the first time by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao together.

This is more than a sports story.

It’s a story about regional integration, city-cluster competition, and the future of China’s southern power engine — the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

In this episode, we explore:

• How the joint hosting of the National Games became a real-life test of GBA coordination — from infrastructure and transportation to governance, safety, information systems, and cultural programming.
• Why many now believe Hong Kong, Macao, and Guangdong may join forces to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games — and what such a bid would mean for China’s global positioning and its soft power ambitions.
• Sports-driven consumption — from surging travel to hotel bookings to cultural tourism during the Games — and how cities across the GBA leveraged “event traffic” to create long-term urban appeal.
• Finally, we look ahead.

What does this tell us about the GBA’s evolving role in China’s national strategy?

And what signal does this send about China’s ambition to reshape global sports leadership?

Join me for a thoughtful, fast-paced breakdown of how a sports event tells a much bigger story about China’s regional power, national confidence, and future global engagement.

Weekly China Recap with Xing Zheming, powered by Taskforce Consultancy

Contact us via

zheming@taskforce-china.cn

zhibin.lang@taskforce-china.cn