Visitors take photos in Arxan of Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Dec. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Bei He)

China aims to promote its ice and snow economy as a new growth point, with the goal of reaching an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan (about 169 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027, according to the guidelines issued by the General Office of the State Council.

By 2027, the facilities for ice and snow sports will be more complete, the service level will be significantly improved, ice and snow sports will be carried out more widely, and China's international competitiveness in these sports will be further enhanced, according to the guidelines published Wednesday.

By 2030, the role of the ice and snow economy in expanding employment and promoting high-quality development will become more prominent, and ice and snow consumption will become an important growth point for expanding domestic demand.

The scale of the ice and snow economy is expected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, the guidelines said.

In the following years, China will adopt a slew of measures to boost the development of the ice and snow economy, including promoting ice and snow sports, improving infrastructure and supporting services, cultivating business entities in the sector, and deepening international cooperation, among others.