American, European music stars perform classic hits at China's Spring Festival Gala

Several world-renowned American and European music stars performed some of their classic hit songs during the China Media Group's (CMG) 2026 Spring Festival Gala as audiences celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Horse on Tuesday.

The hours-long gala had began earlier on Monday evening on the eve of the Chinese New Year, with a carefully curated line-up of performances and variety acts guiding viewers towards the new year.

As the clock ticked past midnight, U.S. singer John Legend performed his chart-topping hit "All of Me", before he teamed up with French actress and singer Helene Rolles as the duo delivered a touching rendition of the main theme song of the classic Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast".

Meanwhile, Irish pop group Westlife gave an entertained with their iconic ballad, "My Love".

U.S. singer Lionel Ritchie was among the international stars who appeared in an earlier segment of the gala.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan," is a cherished part of the celebrations every year in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.

Since first being broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.

The Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.

The 2026 Spring Festival falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.

American, European music stars perform classic hits at China's Spring Festival Gala

American, European music stars perform classic hits at China's Spring Festival Gala

American, European music stars perform classic hits at China's Spring Festival Gala

American, European music stars perform classic hits at China's Spring Festival Gala

The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting concluded in east China's Suzhou on Saturday, yielding fruitful results and laying significant groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

The trade ministers' meeting focused on "building an open and predictable regional and multilateral economic and trade order" and "fostering new engines of innovative and dynamic trade and investment cooperation."

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao briefed the media on the meeting's outcomes at a press conference.

Wang said the meeting issued a joint statement titled the Suzhou Statement, and approved the latest edition of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.

All parties agreed to advance policy innovation and reform in services trade, build an open and predictable investment environment, improve regional trade facilitation and supply chain resilience, strengthen standards coordination, and enhance intellectual property protection, Wang told the media.

He also said that substantial progress was made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and the ministers emphasized promoting inclusive AI development, strengthening AI-related trade, and bridging the digital divide to ensure shared benefits from digital transformation.

The minister noted that the outcomes of the meeting demonstrated strong cooperation willingness, highlighted an innovation-oriented approach, and reflected inclusiveness and shared benefits. "The fact that Asia-Pacific economies can come together, uphold the original aspiration of promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation while supporting economic growth and prosperity, and engage in in-depth discussions on the important issue of 'where multilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation is headed,' fully demonstrates that open regionalism and true multilateralism enjoy broad support, and that mutual success and shared development serve the fundamental interests of all economies," Wang said.

2026 APEC trade ministers' meeting concludes with fruitful results