On January 16, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended the “Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala” U.S. event hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and delivered remarks. Nearly 200 people participated in the event, including Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and President of the CMG Shen Haixiong, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Fu Cong, Consul General of China in New York Chen Li, President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Stephen Orlins, envoys to the UN, diplomats, and friends from both China and the United States.

Ambassador Xie said that the Spring Festival originated in China, but its joy and happiness are shared by the whole world. In 2022, the festival happily coincided with the Beijing Winter Olympics. In 2023, it was listed as a UN floating holiday. And in 2024, the tradition was inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. So today, the Chinese New Year has really become a global celebration. 

Ambassador Xie noted that in this turbulent world, people around the globe are more eager than ever to pursue peace and development, and the call for solidarity and cooperation is growing ever stronger. The Spring Festival is exactly about peace, amity and harmony. While China and the United States are different in many ways, both our people wish for a happy family, a good life and a peaceful world. For that to happen, a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship is crucial.

Ambassador Xie pointed out that in the past Year of the Dragon, we implemented the San Francisco vision against all odds with the vigor and strength of soaring dragons. With our joint efforts, China-U.S. relations gained a hard-won stabilizing momentum and remained overall stable. Going forward, it is hoped that the U.S. side will work with China in the same direction, follow the guidance of the two heads of state, and uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. Ambassador Xie called for joint efforts to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with the drive of dancing golden snakes, properly manage differences with the snake’s wisdom, and enhance dialogue and communication with the snake’s flexibility, so as to find a right way for China and the United States to get along with each other in the new era.