Auspicious meanings of Year of Horse resonate with Palestinian hearts: ambassador

The current Chinese New Year of the Horse carries auspicious meanings that resonate with the hearts of the Palestinian people, said Ambassador of Palestine to China Jawad Mohammed Qutish Awad in Beijing.

This year marks the first Spring Festival that Jawad has celebrated in China since assuming his post, as he and his family members welcomed the festive occasion together with the embassy staff.

In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG), Jawad expressed that the horse symbolizes strength and progress in Chinese culture, which fills him with confidence for the Year of the Horse.

"The Spring Festival is a very important traditional festival in China, reflecting social cohesion and respect for family value and tradition. These values are also deeply recognized by the Palestinian people. The horse symbolizes strength, progress, and the spirit of keeping forging ahead toward the future in Chinese culture. These meanings are close to the hearts of the Palestinian people and are highly compatible with Palestinian and Arab culture, which aim to strengthen family bonds, promote the spirit of resilience and struggle, and move toward new stages with a responsible and optimistic attitude," said the ambassador.

Jawad commended China's steadfast support for the Palestinian cause and its responsible role in promoting justice and peace in the region.

"Over the past year, Palestine-China relations have made significant progress at the political and diplomatic levels, most notably reflected in Chinese President Xi Jinping's unequivocal support for the Palestinian people, particularly China's announcement of providing 100 million U.S. dollars to support reconstruction efforts in Gaza. The two sides have continued to strengthen political communication and coordination," he said.

"China has always firmly supported the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and promoted the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions. The importance of these achievements lies in that they demonstrate the principled partnership between both sides and reflect China's responsible commitment in advancing justice, peace and stability in the region," Jawad said.

The ambassador expressed confidence in further elevating bilateral relations between China and Palestine in 2026.

"Over the past year, we have truly felt that China has entered a new stage in its development process. Especially after the successful convening of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [in October 2025], the important strategic directions put forward reflect China's emphasis on high-quality and stable development. We look forward to continuing to consolidate and elevate bilateral relations in 2026, enabling them to develop at higher levels and in broader areas, matching the definition of our strategic partnership," he said.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Arab states. The second China-Arab States Summit will also be held in Beijing later this year.

Jawad said he believes this will inject momentum into deepening cooperation in China-Palestine and China-Arab relations.

"Palestine fully supports the second China-Arab States Summit to be held in Beijing [in 2026], China's capital, and regards it as an important opportunity to deepen Arab-China cooperation, and strengthen collaboration between the two sides in areas such as development, capacity building, healthcare, education and cultural exchange, to better benefit the people of both countries," he said.

The Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 17 or Tuesday this year, marks the start of the Chinese New Year. The 2026 Chinese New Year is a Year of the Horse, the seventh of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Auspicious meanings of Year of Horse resonate with Palestinian hearts: ambassador

The international tourists and locals in Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates, were amazed by the spectacular martial arts performance delivered by a group of humanoid robots at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala, which was televised on Monday.

The highly-energetic display saw the versatile robots and young Kung Fu practitioners perform a series of impressive choreographed stunts and synchronized moves in a breathtaking stage segment.

The robots also used traditional Kung Fu weapons such as swords and nunchuks, demonstrating impressive speed, balance, coordination and precision as they executed the pulsating performance in style.

The energetic performance amazed customers at the Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world, as the landmark was decorated to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The audience were glued to a giant screen set on the first floor of the shopping mall and kept taking photos of the most breath-taking moments.

"Very impressive that the technology is that far. Robotics can fight like human beings, especially, all these, how to say, getting in balance that fast, making balance," said an Austrian tourist.

Some audience said the whole gala is full of Chinese characteristics.

"We think all the programs, including singing and sketches, are exactly the shows that we, the Chinese people, will love," said Kan Xingshu, an overseas Chinese from the United States.

The locals in the Dubai International City, one of the largest residential areas for Chinese people in the UAE capital, were also impressed by the robot martial arts performance.

The gala, which was presented on Monday afternoon local time through a giant screen set up at the community, attracted a large audience.

"I'm very astonished by this robot show. I couldn't believe it is real, but as we see it's real. It's very genius show," said a member of the audience.

Commonly known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, the gala has been broadcast live every Chinese New Year's Eve since 1983 and has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.

The Spring Festival is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people. It falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in a Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

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

Robot martial arts performance at CMG Spring Festival Gala wows UAE audience