China said Wednesday all 45 Olympic committees from Asian countries and regions, a figure that includes North Korea, have registered to participate in the regional games to be held this fall in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Since 2020, Pyongyang has maintained almost entirely closed borders to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. It remains unclear whether the North's cross-border travel curbs will be eased before the Asian Games take place between late September and early October.

The 45 Olympic committees are members of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Zhou Jinqiang, China's deputy sports minister, told a press conference in Beijing that the upcoming games, which have been postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be the "largest and highest-level international comprehensive sports event" to be hosted by China since a Communist Party congress last October.

He said all venues are ready and many Asian participants will send record delegations to the Hangzhou games. About 900 Chinese athletes will join the event, Zhou added.

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