On January 31, 2022, Premier Sihle Zikalala and the Provincial Executive Council of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, issued a statement conveying their lunar new year greetings and wishes to the people and government of China.
The Statement reads as follows:
On Tuesday 1 February 2022, China celebrates its Lunar New Year.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala and his cabinet take this opportunity to wish the people and government of the People’s Republic of China government a prosperous Lunar New Year.
Themed the Year of The Tiger, Premier Zikalala hopes the New Year will be filled with economic vitality and agility, which are traits that characterise the tiger.
The Premier acknowledged and applauded the diplomatic and economic ties South Africa has forged with China. It is out of this strong relationship that the Province of KwaZulu-Natal has also established strong ties with Guandong, Shanghai, and Fujian Provinces.
“As the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, we are grateful to these provinces in particular and China in general for being a dependable ally of the people of KwaZulu-Natal and our country. As China celebrates the New Year, it is our earnest and honest hope that the New Year will bring power and prosperity which will cement our economic and historic ties” said Premier Zikalala.
The Premier also added: “We draw inspiration and courage on the progress made in Guangdong as we have observed the near completion of the project started by our respective provinces - the South Africa Commodity Centre (SACC). This milestone achievement emanates from our MoU to facilitate trade between our provinces and is set to be launched in the middle of 2022.”
“The past two years have been difficult across the globe because of the advent of the devastative Covid-19 which destroyed many economies.
“We applaud China for handling the pandemic successfully and for taking part in producing vaccines that fight the pandemic head on. We also appreciate China for rising from the ashes to rebuild the economy which was heavily affected by the advent of the pandemic. KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa celebrate China’s success in this regard and continue to learn from this country and the Chinese people,” said Premier Zikalala.
The Premier also heaped praise on the government and business people of China for lending a helping hand when KwaZulu-Natal was gripped by unprecedented scenes of violence in July, which saw loss of life and many businesses and infrastructure vandalised and demolished.
“The Chinese government and its business people were among the first countries who offered help when the July mayhem engulfed our province. It is thanks to such efforts that KwaZulu-Natal is now poised for economic recovery.
“Once again we take this opportunity to wish the People’s Republic of China a fruitful and prosperous Lunar New Year filled with economic revival and prosperity,” concluded Premier Zikalala.
The Independent Online reported the statement. To view the article in detail, please click the following:
https://www.iol.co.za/mercury/news/kzn-government-wishes-china-a-prosperous-lunar-new-year-1eb07fc8-e4ea-4565-b515-9686838472b9