China embassies in Brazil, Argentina hold Spring Festival receptions

China's embassies in Brazil and Argentina this week hosted receptions to welcome the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, drawing hundreds of guests from local political, business and cultural circles as well as overseas Chinese communities.

The Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 17 this year, is one of the most important holidays in China, celebrated with family reunions and wishes for good luck in the coming year. This year's Spring Festival marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse.

Watching the Spring Festival Gala on television is a cherished part of the celebrations in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes. The gala will be broadcast live around the world on the Chinese New Year's Eve on February 16.

In Brasilia, capital of Brazil, more than 300 attendees joined the Chinese embassy's celebration on Wednesday, which featured traditional festivities and cultural displays. A promotional video of China Media Group (CMG) annual Spring Festival Gala was shown on large screens, sparking lively reactions among guests.

Maria Gomes, a former adviser to the World Health Organization and Brazil's Ministry of Health, said the promotional video gave her a vivid impression of the scale and vibrancy of Chinese New Year celebrations.

"Brazilians love to start a new year with a festival that represents good fortune and joy, like the Spring Festival. We're very excited to be living in a period of very great friendship between Brazil and China. I want to wish all the Chinese people, including children, parents, and the elderly, a beautiful year in the Year of the Horse, a year of prosperity, luck, and a lot of family harmony," she said.

On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, held a similar event to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Overseas Chinese, representatives of Chinese companies, media, Confucius Institutes and students gathered to mark the Year of the Horse.

A promotional video of the CMG Spring Festival Gala was shown as part of the cultural event, highlighting China's cultural confidence and helping strengthen ties among overseas Chinese.

China embassies in Brazil, Argentina hold Spring Festival receptions

China embassies in Brazil, Argentina hold Spring Festival receptions

African officials on Wednesday pledged to scale up investment to accelerate development across the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a meeting in Accra, Ghana's capital.

They made the commitment during the 24th Annual General Meeting of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), where leaders highlighted the need to expand the bank's capital base to finance transformative projects.

Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson stressed that timely capital payments would strengthen EBID's leverage and sustain its growth, enabling the institution to stimulate inclusive economic expansion across the region.

"Timely capital payments are critical. It strengthens EBID leverage and sustains its growth and impact across our region. Expanding our capital base is essential to strengthen our ability to finance transformative development projects and stimulate inclusive economic growth among our member states," said Forson.

EBID recorded strong achievements in 2025, with total disbursements of about 722 million U.S. dollars, up 47.7 percent from 2024. Building on that momentum, President George Agyekum Donkor said the bank remains committed to helping member states tackle poverty and close infrastructure gaps across the region.

"We aim to direct at least 63 percent of new commitments towards the private enterprises to catalyze job creation and innovation. Simultaneously, the bank would embed environmental, social and governance principles across its operations, dedicating over 41 percent of resources to climate mitigation and social inclusion projects," said Donkor.

With disbursements surging nearly 48 percent last year, EBID officials said the bank is positioned to channel more resources into private-sector growth and climate-focused projects, reinforcing its role as a driver of inclusive development across West Africa.

African officials vow stronger investment push at ECOWAS bank meeting in Accra