Director General/Executive Director Mrs. Waly, Director General Mr. Grossi, Director General Mr. Müller, Executive Secretary Mr. Floyd, Secretary General Mr. Ghais,
Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon!
Welcome to the Lunar New Year/Spring Festival reception jointly organized by the Permanent Mission of China and the VIC Chinese Culture Club.
The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China. It is a time for family reunion, saying goodbye to the passing year and welcoming the new year. It not only bears the ideas of peace and harmony valued by the Chinese people but also carries values of humanity such as family harmony, social inclusion, and a sound relationship between humans and nature.
The Spring Festival is an official holiday in many countries and regions, and about one-fifth of the world's population celebrates the Lunar New Year in different ways. Last month, the 78th United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution designating the Lunar New Year as a UN floating holiday, further enriching the global significance of this festive occasion.
This is our first Spring Festival reception held at the VIC. Through this gathering, we hope to provide a joyful and forward-looking New Year celebration for Vienna multilateral community, fostering exchanges, mutual learning, and solidarity as we move on in 2024.
On this occasion, I would like to extend my sincerest Lunar New Year greetings to colleagues from various international organizations in Vienna, colleagues from the permanent missions, friends from the wider Vienna community, Chinese international staff, as well as colleagues from my Mission. Happy New Year!
Dear colleagues,
Regardless of the ups and downs in the international environment and climate, every spring arrives on time. People should apply exactly the same confidence to the UN system and multilateralism. Peace and development have always been the mainstream of our times, and the most common aspiration of the international community is for cooperation over confrontation, solidarity over division, openness over exclusion, peace over conflict, multilateralism over unilateralism, and justice over power.
China's development and Chinese diplomacy will continue to contribute important certainty, stability and positive energy to the world in turbulance.
One month ago, I went back to Beijing to participate in the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs. The conference reaffirmed China's readiness to advance national modernization with high-quality development through high-level openness for common development, adhering to the principles of self-confidence and self-reliance, openness and inclusiveness, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation.
Centered around the theme of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China advocates for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. China calls for collaboration among countries to address common challenges, achieve common prosperity, and move hand-in-hand toward a brighter future of peace, security, prosperity and progress.
President Xi Jinping's proposals of the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative respond to the aspirations of people around the world for peace, development, and cooperation. They are totally in line with the causes of the United Nations and other multilateral platforms.
China will actively promote the alignment of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative with the UN agenda, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and work with other countries to reactivate and accelerate the global development process.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
This year is the Year of the Dragon. Dragon symbolizes justice, courage and strength, bringing a dynamic spirit of exploration and progress to the world. In 2024, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Vienna International Center, and the 40th anniversary of China's accession to the IAEA.
As one of the centers for multilateral diplomacy, the Vienna multilateral agenda is closely linked to the three major global initiatives, possessing unique advantages in safeguarding international peace and security and promoting global sustainable development.
China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Vienna-based international organizations and member states, actively advocate true multilateralism, jointly uphold the "Vienna Spirit" of consensus, unity, and collaboration, and work together to advance the multilateral causes in Vienna, including making more international development cooperation happen benefitting the Global South.
Dear colleagues and friends,
According to the Lunar Calendar, this Sunday is the Start of Spring. Next weekend will be the New Year. Upon this new beginning, let's wish for prosperity and achievements in all fields of multilateral affairs in Vienna. And for the Year of the Dragon, I wish you and your families good health and all the happiness!
Thank you.