On 4 February, Consul General Chen Shijie attended the 2025 Chinese New Year celebration hosted by the Teo Swa General Association (TSGA) of New Zealand and delivered a speech. Around 200 guests participated in the event, including Members of Parliament Carlos Cheung and Nancy Lu, and other representatives from TSGA and the local Chinese community.

Chen noted that it is the first Chinese Spring Festival to be celebrated after being inscribed to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and that, as one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, it is increasingly gaining global recognition. During the Chinese Spring Festival, various overseas Chinese communities held vibrant and unique celebrations, promoting traditional Chinese culture, and attracting lots of local residents to participate, including many from other minority ethnic groups.

Chen emphasized that the overseas Chinese are witnesses to China’s development, participants in the friendship between China and New Zealand, and contributors to people-to-people exchanges of both countries. He called on the overseas Chinese to keep pooling their strengths to promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields between China and New Zealand. The Consulate-General will, as always, uphold its mission of serving the people through diplomacy and take concrete actions to provide support and assistance to local Chinese compatriots. The two Members of Parliament extended their New Year greetings to the Chinese community and acknowledged their contributions to the economic and social development of New Zealand, as well as to the practical cooperation between the two countries.
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