Festive performances, dazzling concerts, and cultural spectacles have lit up Spring Festival celebrations worldwide, drawing people from all backgrounds to hail the arrival of the Year of the Horse.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year. It is one of the most important holidays in China, celebrated with family reunions and wishes for good luck in the coming year.
Melbourne's Chinatown hosted a grand celebration on Sunday to mark the Spring Festival, featuring vibrant dragon and lion dances alongside a variety of cultural performances that drew large crowds of local residents and tourists.
"We are fascinated by all their dragon and lions, it's just an amazing experience for us," said a local resident attending the event.
"I love Chinese cuisine, it's wonderful. I learned Chinese for a little bit in high school, but I would love to go to China and experience more of the traditions and customs as well. I wish you lots of luck and prosperity for this new year, of the Year of the Horse," another reveler said.
In central Türkiye's Cappadocia region, a Spring Festival celebration brought festive elements to one of the country's top tourist destinations.
Known worldwide for its unique volcanic rock formations and cave valleys and often referred as the "Land of Beautiful Horses," Cappadocia drew added attention this year as hot-air balloons, including a one shaped like a horse. Carrying Chinese New Year greetings, the balloons floated above the landscape and caught the attention of many on the ground.
"We are in the 'Land of Beautiful Horses,' a city of love, peace, delicious food and smiles. I wish the Year of the Horse will bring peace, happiness and love to all Chinese people," said Gokhan Yazgi, Türkiye's Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism.
A Spring Festival gala was also held at the National Concert Hall in Ireland's Dublin, showcasing the artistic charm and vitality of Chinese culture.
"The visit of Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin that just finished was a very successful one. Ireland is committed to strengthening the existing trade, investment, economic links with China," former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said at the event.
Cultural festivities across globe celebrate Chinese New Year
China stands ready to work with all countries to improve global human rights governance and promote the sound development of the international human rights cause, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.
Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a speech delivered via video link during the high-level segment of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Wang noted that the international situation is complex and intertwined, and that global human rights governance and the post-World War II international order are facing new tests of the times. The Global Governance Initiative proposed by China has received support and responses from more than 150 countries and international organizations, he added.
Wang called for upholding sovereign equality and safeguarding the original aspirations of global human rights governance. The only path that can lead to ever-broader prospects is one of human rights development, rooted in a country's specific national conditions and responsive to the needs of its people, he said.
All parties should abide by the international rule of law and consolidate the foundations of global human rights governance, Wang noted. Together, all countries should uphold the "golden rule" of non-interference in one another's internal affairs, and firmly reject words and deeds that create double standards in the name of human rights, he said.
He called for practicing multilateralism and addressing the challenges to global human rights governance. All countries should reject all forms of colonialism or racial discrimination, and respond properly to rising issues such as artificial intelligence, as well as climate change and human rights.
Wang emphasized that all parties should advocate a people-oriented approach to global human rights governance and enrich the connotations of such governance. The international community should also position the right to development in a more prominent position on the multilateral human rights agenda, he said.
Calling for action-oriented approaches to and the enhanced efficacy of global human rights governance, Wang said that China is willing to coordinate its actions with the international community to collectively chart a new blueprint for this global cause.
Noting that 2026 marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, he said the country will continue advancing its whole-process people's democracy, ensuring the achievements of Chinese modernization benefit all people in a more equitable manner.
China stands ready to work with all countries to promote common development and prosperity, safeguard international fairness and justice, uphold the common values of humanity, and build a community with a shared future for all, with the aim of ensuring that the progress of human rights civilization benefits the whole world, he stressed.
China ready to work with all countries to improve global human rights governance: Chinese FM
