A total of 176 athletes are set to represent China at Beijing 2022 as it prepares to stage the Winter Olympics for the first time.

China achieved its best performance at Vancouver 2010 when it claimed five golds, two silvers and four bronzes to rank seventh in the standings.

At Pyeongchang 2018, China finished 16th with one gold, six silvers and two bronzes.

China is set to compete across 15 disciplines at Beijing 2022, scheduled to run from Friday (February 4) until February 20, and Ni told state-run Xinhua that the team are hoping to deliver a record-breaking Games.

"The delegation is eyeing the best Winter Games performance while ensuring no doping cases," said Ni.

"Our athletes will display their sportsmanship and also abide by all the pandemic control rules.

"Only China, Russia, the United States and the Czech Republic will compete in all 15 disciplines at Beijing 2022."

Short track speed skating, figure skating and speed skating are among the ice sports that China will be hoping to medal in, while freestyle skier Gu Ailing is expected to star on home snow.

The 18-year-old sensation is a reigning world champion in halfpipe and slopestyle and has also won medals in big air.

Away from competitive action, Na insists China will implement a zero-tolerance policy towards doping at the Games.

Chen Zhiyu, director of the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), claimed that more than 7,000 doping tests were carried out by the organisation until the Athletes’ Villages officially opened last week.

"The four-year Winter Olympic anti-doping programme is the longest in China's history and also the most thorough and stringent," said Chen.

"Our aim is to send a clean team to the Beijing Winter Games.

"We summed up the experience from Tokyo Games and also made a plan to cover athletes' entire preparation for Beijing 2022."

Chen said it had implemented a "watertight" anti-doping measures to ensure "test results can stand the test of time".

He also said that all teams training abroad had been tested with statistics issued to the World Anti-Doping Agency, insisting it was an advocate for an "open and transparent process in cracking down on doping".

Under Chinese law, anyone found guilty of luring, instigating or cheating athletes into using banned substances could be imprisoned.

"Criminalising doping best speaks for the will of the state to fight doping, to be zero tolerant on doping," Chen said.

"The measure will impose tougher punishments on doping and also serves as a strong deterrence."