February 10th, 2024, marks the Chinese Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Guyana, I’d like to avail this opportunity to extend our warmest greetings and wishes to all Chinese compatriots and Guyanese friends.
Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the oldest and the most important traditional festival in the Chinese culture. It’s a holiday featuring family reunion and good wishes for the coming year, which carries the common values of humanity such as harmonious family, social inclusiveness, world peace and sound coexistence between man and nature. It’s celebrated in China and around the world. Some rough estimates suggest that Spring Festival is a public holiday in almost 20 countries, a UN floating holiday and celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity. Spring Festival activities have been organized in nearly 200 countries and regions, bringing joy to people around the world.
Spring Festival is no strange for Guyanese friends. Last year, the Chinese community held the Guyana 2023 Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair in National Park, Georgetown, where more than 2,000 friends from all walks of life, including Hon. Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, attended the celebrations. Tomorrow, the Chinese Association of Guyana and the Confucius Institute at the University of Guyana will hold the 2024 Chinese New Year Gala, which is highly anticipated by local friends.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Last month, the word “Chinese dragon” was included in the Oxford English Dictionary. Unlike the winged, fire-breathing evil dragon in Western mythology, the Chinese dragon symbolizes auspiciousness, fertility, wisdom and strength, and serves as the totem of the Chinese nation. Last year, the Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe from China visited Guyana and performed a wonderful dragon dance in the National Cultural Center, winning numerous rounds of applause and cheers from the audience.
The year 2023 has been an uplifting and fruitful year for the Chinese people in terms of overcoming difficulties and making progress. China achieved a smooth transition in its COVID-19 response efforts. With a GDP growth of 5.2% in 2023, the Chinese economy has sustained the momentum of recovery, providing a strong impetus to the global economy. China has made major breakthrough in science and technology. The China-made C919 large passenger airplane entered commercial service. The Chinese-built large cruise ship completed its trial voyage. The Shenzhou spaceships are continuing their missions in space. Products designed and made in China such as mobile phones and new energy vehicles, are highly popular with consumers. We successfully held the Chengdu FISU World University Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation among other diplomatic events. The Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) proposed by President Xi Jinping have gained broader support, uplifting China’s enhanced international influence, enhancing China’s capacity to steer new endeavors, and boosting China’s moral appeal in the new era.
Guyana is also highly commendable. In 2023, Guyana has not only maintained rapid economic growth, but also made significant progress in infrastructure development, betterment of people’s lives, and social security, etc. Holding the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council and CARICOM concurrently, Guyana’s international visibility and influence has been further enhanced. As Foreign Secretary Hon. Robert Persaud wrote, small states can be meaningful actors in global governance. China supports Guyana in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and stands ready to work with Guyana to contribute to world peace, security, prosperity and progress.
Last year was also a year in which China and Guyana continued to consolidate relationship and expand cooperation. President Xi Jinping met with President Ali on his visit to China, ushering in a new chapter in China-Guyana friendship. Exchanges resumed, cooperation accelerated, and projects such as highway, bridge, hospitals and hotels progressed smoothly. Last year we also celebrated the 170th anniversary of the Chinese arrival in Guyana and the 30th anniversary of the Chinese Medical Team in Guyana.
As the saying goes, “A year’s plan starts with spring.” Recently, the Guyanese government unveiled ambitious development plans, launched several new projects and will host the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo 2024 and the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government CARICOM this month. These busy schedules signify a good momentum of Guyana’s advancement of its development and diplomatic agenda in 2024. For China, 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and a critical year to fulfill the goals and tasks in its 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. Next month, the Chinese government will unveil its development goals for 2024 at the Two Sessions, which is highly anticipated by the world. In terms of our bilateral relations, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute at the University of Guyana, which is an important milestone in cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Guyana is China’s good friend and important partner. In 2024, China is willing to work with Guyana, to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in Chengdu, expand exchanges and cooperation in various areas and build a more close-knit China-Guyana community with a shared future.
Finally, I wish you all a Happy Year of the Dragon!
