As China welcomes the Spring Festival, foreign officials and heads of international organizations extended their warm greetings to the Chinese people.
The Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, which is an occasion for family reunions and new beginnings. Chinese New Year fell on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.
"On the occasion of the Spring Festival, I extend my sincerest greetings and best wishes. May the New Year bring health and prosperity. May the energy of the Year of the Horse inspire us to move forward with unwavering faith, responsibility, and a sense of mission. Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity and good fortune!" said Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
"Happy Chinese New Year. I wish everyone a year of good health, prosperity and success. As we welcome the Year of the Horse, we are celebrating a symbol of energy, resilience and progress. These qualities feel especially meaningful in the global trade community today. Happy Chinese New Year, thank you," said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
While delivering their New Year wishes, officials also called for seizing the opportunity of deepening ties with China.
"On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the Chinese people and wish you peace, health and prosperity. Slovenia values its friendly relations with China and deeply respects the rich culture and achievements of the Chinese nation. In the spirit of the Chinese idiom, getting off to a flying start, I'm confident that China's 15th five-year plan will achieve swift and successful progress in the Year of the Horse. May the new year bring new opportunities for cooperation and further strengthen the friendship between our two nations. Happy Chinese New Year!" said Marko Lotric, president of the National Council of Slovenia.
"In this great lunar Year of the Horse, we wish to say to them getting off to a flying start, and also good luck for the Year of the Horse. We also want to seize the opportunity to foster the relationship that is between Zambia and China, that it may continue to grow from strength to strength and achieve a win-win situation between the people of China and the people of Zambia," said Thabo Kawana, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information and Media in Zambia.
Global officials send Chinese New Year greetings, call for deepening ties
Global officials send Chinese New Year greetings, call for deepening ties
The 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting will be held from May 22-23 in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, with preliminary consultations and seminars kicking off on Monday.
Multiple consultations have commenced, including discussions on the joint statement to be issued at the meeting and ways to promote cooperation in digital trade.
Additionally, the "Big Market for All: Export to China" Suzhou special event and the Suzhou products promotion event opened Monday.
Experts emphasized that the minister's meeting will play a timely role in advancing regional economic integration and tackling emerging trade challenges through deeper cooperation in digital and green sectors.
"APEC is the highest-level and most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region. On the 20th anniversary of the vision for a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), the 2026 Suzhou APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting will play a positive role in safeguarding the multilateral trading system, stabilizing Asia-Pacific cooperation, and leading global open development, countering the increasingly intensifying wave of trade protectionism," said Yuan Qian, deputy director of the trade and investment research division of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, which is under the administration of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"At the same time, as a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates, this meeting takes cooperation in emerging areas such as digital and green as important content, better aligning with the trend of global technological innovation and development, countering global economic growth pressures, and opening up new spaces for regional cooperation and development," the expert added.
Terms such as digital economy, electronic bills of lading, and green supply chains appear frequently in the agenda of the APEC trade ministers' meeting.
"Although electronic bills of lading may seem small, their impact on international trade is very critical. They can improve customs clearance efficiency and reduce customs clearance costs. If promoted, it will not only affect these developed economies and large traders, but more importantly, it will significantly enhance the ability of some small and medium-sized economies and some developing countries to participate in international trade and improve their trade efficiency," said Zhou Mi, deputy director of the Institute of American and Oceania, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, which is under the administration of the Ministry of Commerce.
This year, a key topic of the meeting is the digital economy.
"In the past, people thought the digital economy was an option; now it has become a must. Because having advantages in digital economy development means having greater advantages in international trade. They (member economies) have seen some of China's practices and approaches in the digital economy field and hope to use such a platform to further improve their own technology and strengthen coordination with China," said Zhou.
Founded in 1989, the APEC is the highest-level, broadest and most influential economic cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region. About 700 representatives from 21 APEC economies and international organizations will gather in Jiangsu for the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting.
Preliminary consultations begin for APEC trade ministers' meeting
