A DAY after topping the inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) medal standings, China have promised to come back even stronger for next year's Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

'We will be taking the YOG very seriously,' said their chef de mission Cui Dalin yesterday. 'We'll be sending our best athletes to Singapore.'

But he was reluctant to set a target for the Aug14-26 Games next year, as the number of entries and the strength of the field in the 26 sports are still unknown.

Sporting powerhouses such as China, the US, Russia and Britain are expected to garner most of the medals then.

Cui said that learning about the Olympic values and building good relations with their Asian counterparts would continue to be a priority for China - just as it was at the AYG.

Although results were secondary to them, China still finished atop the AYG medal tally with 25 golds, 16 silvers and 11 bronzes.

'This reflects well on our youth athletes - it shows that they have a good foundation,' he said. 'I'm satisfied with our athletes' performances.'

He also praised the organisers for hosting a successful Games, and congratulated Singapore's athletes on their performances.

'Singapore have done very well, especially in swimming and bowling,' he said. 'If they build on their success, I believe that Singapore sport will be able to make new breakthroughs.'