BEIJING — As China prepares for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, attention has turned to the Winter Games.

He Zhenliang, the country's senior International Olympic Committee member, said China should think about making a bid.

The earliest possible bid would be for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be in Vancouver, British Columbia. The 2014 venue will be selected in July, and the candidates are: Pyeongchang, South Korea; Salzburg, Austria; and Sochi, Russia.

"We always welcome interest from any city that wants to hold the Olympics," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Friday.

The Chinese Olympic Committee declined immediate comment Friday.

China's interest in the Winter Games could hurt South Korea, since the IOC is unlikely to name Asian cities consecutively for the Winter Olympics. Only two Asian cities, both in Japan, have hosted the Winter Olympics: Sapporo (1972) and Nagano (1998).

In 2003, Pyeongchang came within two votes of upsetting Vancouver in the 2010 games vote. Salzburg finished third. China's northeastern city of Harbin also had a losing bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

He, honorary president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said his country's ability to play host to the winter games depends partly on economic conditions.

"With the improvement of the living conditions of the Chinese people and the performance of the athletes, I believe the day will come pretty soon," He said at the Asian Winter Games in Changchun in northeastern China.

"Although the natural conditions here are good, there is still a distance to go for China to hold a Winter Olympics," He added. "To be able to hold the games, the performance level of Chinese athletes in winter sports should be better. And more ordinary people should participate in the events."

China has a modest Winter Olympic history. The country finished 14th in the 2006 winter games medal table, winning two gold medals. In the 2004 summer games, China won 32 gold, just behind the 36 won by the United States.