On January 23, Ambassador He Rulong and his wife attended the “Warm Welcome to 2025 Chinese New Year” Reception for Overseas Chinese in Iceland hosted by the Chinese Embassy. Nearly 300 guests attended, including overseas Chinese, students, teachers and Icelandic friends from all walks of life.

Ambassador He Rulong delivered a heart-warming speech. He extended New Year's greetings to the guests, and briefed on China’s social and economic development achievements and the favorable development momentum of China-Iceland relations over the past year. He also affirmed the contributions made by overseas Chinese in promoting China-Iceland friendship, and expressed his willingness to work with them to add new inputs to the development of China-Iceland relations. Chairman LiTong of the Association of Overseas Chinese in Iceland and Deputy Director-general Zhang Zhiren of Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism made remarks respectively.

The reception was immersed in a strong festive atmosphere with the decoration of red lanterns. The Shanxi Provincial Art Troupe came from China to Iceland specially for this event. They demonstrated a strong Shanxi cultural characteristics in addition to fine Chinese traditional classics. The guests got a good feel of the Chinese New Year of Snake, thanks to the wonderful artistic performances and the authentic Chinese delicacies. They all wished China prosperity and a long-lasting friendship between China and Iceland.