Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening and Namaste!

The Chinese New Year of the Snake will fall in a few days. I am very delighted to join our old and new friends here to celebrate this festival. Today's celebration is of special significance. Last month, "Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year" was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Spring Festival has become a symbol of Chinese culture widely accepted, recognized and appreciated worldwide. In traditional Chinese culture, snake symbolizes auspiciousness, wisdom and prosperity. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, peaceful and prosperous Year of the Snake!

The Year 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and was also a crucial year for the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan. At its Third Plenary Session, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sounded a clarion call for further deepening all-round reform. Despite mounting challenges at home and abroad, the Chinese government calmly responded and adopted comprehensive policies, hitting the main targets of economic and social development. China’s GDP reached 134.9 trillion yuan in 2024, with a growth rate of 5%. The grain output has surpassed 700 million tons for the first time, and China has produced more than 10 million new energy vehicles in one year for the first time. New quality productive forces have developed steadily, with significant progress in technological innovation. Breakthroughs have been made in integrated circuit, artificial intelligence, quantum communications and many other fields. The fundamentals sustaining China's steady and long-term growth remain unchanged, and the multiple advantages and supporting conditions for development also stay unchanged. China remains a key driver of global economic growth.

Over the past year, the world has witnessed further transformation and instability, marked by protracted and intensified geopolitical conflicts. With its own stability, China provided much-needed support to the turbulent world. China has successfully held home-court diplomatic events such as the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. We put forward China's vision at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, APEC, G20 and other multilateral forums. We have firmly upheld the authority and stature of the UN, and endeavored to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. We played a constructive role in the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and pushed forward the building of a community with a shared future for mankind with concrete actions.

The Year 2025 is the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. China will implement more proactive and effective policies to promote high-quality development and maintain sound momentum in economic and social development. China is determined to pursue higher-standard opening up, safeguard the global free trade system as well as the stable and unimpeded functioning of the industrial and supply chains, and is ready to join hands with all countries including India on the path toward modernization. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN. China will continue to promote a correct view of history and adhere to true multilateralism. China will remain a force for peace, unity, openness, justice and inclusiveness, and work together with other countries to create a better future for the world.

Last October, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi held a meeting in Kazan, Russia. The two sides agreed to step up strategic communication, safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas, and strive to bring the bilateral relationship back to the track of stable development at an early date. The two leaders viewed China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and pointed the way forward for the improvement and development of bilateral relations at a critical moment. Last December, the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for China-India Boundary Question was held in Beijing. Based on the important common understandings reached by the two leaders, both sides had substantive discussions on the China-India border issues and agreed on a six-point consensus. Our economic and trade exchanges have become closer, with trade volume reaching 126.6 billion US dollars in the first 11 months of 2024, registering a year-on-year growth of 1.9%. People-to-people exchanges have seen rapid growth, and the Chinese Embassy and Consulate Generals in India issued 280,000 visas to Indians last year.

The Year 2025 also marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. India was one of the first countries to recognize New China and the first non-socialist country to establish diplomatic relations with New China. As two major developing countries, representatives of emerging economies, and important members of the Global South, China-India relations should maintain healthy and stable development, which is in line with the fundamental interests of over 2.8 billion people in both countries and the historical trend of common development of the Global South. We stand ready to work with the Indian side, in the spirits of looking to the future and pursuing win-win cooperation, to invest our valuable resources into development and revitalization, and place the border issue in an appropriate position within bilateral relations. We should jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas, forge a path for the neighbouring countries to coexist in harmony, and create a better future together. We will hold dozens of celebratory activities for the 75th anniversary and look forward to your participation. Together, we will write new stories of China-India friendship.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends,

Tonight, we will present you with wonderful cultural performances, authentic Chinese delicacies, and dumplings, which are at the centre of the Chinese New Year’s Eve feast. I hope that tonight could be a memorable night for you all.

Now please join me in a toast:

To the prosperity and harmony of our great motherland,

To the everlasting friendship between China and India,

To the health and happiness of all of you and your families.

Thank you all. Happy Chinese New Year.