On the evening of 31 January, the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Durban hosted a Spring Festival reception to welcome the arrival of the Lunar Year of the Horse (Bingwu). More than 300 guests attended, including friends from KwaZulu-Natal, Durban and Pietermaritzburg, representatives of Chinese-funded enterprises, members of the Chinese community, and consular officials of various countries in Durban. Distinguished guests present included Nontembeko Boyce, Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Mmabatho Thembe, Deputy Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Martin Meyer, MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Cyril Xaba, Mayor of eThekwini, Eunice Majola, the Speaker of the Council for Musunduzi Municipality and former South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga Cwele.

In his remarks, Li Zhigong, Consul General of China in Durban, extended New Year greetings and best wishes to all members of the Chinese community in KwaZulu-Natal. He reviewed China’s development achievements over the past year, as well as the progress made in China–South Africa relations, in particular the friendly cooperation between China and KwaZulu-Natal. He noted that China will continue to uphold its initiatives on global governance, safeguard the post-war international order and its outcomes with the United Nations at its core, stay committed to multilateralism, and promote economic globalisation. He also expressed China’s readiness to further strengthen friendly cooperation with South Africa and advance the China–South Africa all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

In their addresses, Speaker Boyce, MEC Meyer and Mayor Xaba conveyed Spring Festival greetings to the Chinese people and the local Chinese community. They spoke highly of China’s achievements in economic and social development and modernisation, thanked Chinese-funded enterprises and the Chinese community for their contributions to KwaZulu-Natal’s development, and emphasised that KwaZulu-Natal and Durban attach great importance to developing relations with China. They expressed the hope to further deepen cooperation in such areas as trade and investment, industrial development, education and training, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and to elevate bilateral relations to new heights.

At the reception, Shude Chinese School, NPC Huaxin Cement and the Durban Music School presented a series of vibrant cultural performances. The Consulate-General also wrote Spring Festival couplets on site to share blessings with guests, showcasing the unique charm of Chinese culture and receiving a warm response from all participants.