Distinguished Guests,

Ambassadors and High Commissioners,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My Fellow Compatriots,

Dear Friends,

Good evening! Today is the 24th of the last lunar month, and in one week, we will usher in the Year of the Horse. Ranking seventh in the Chinese zodiac, the horse occupies a midpoint position—bridging the past and future and embodying the prime of life. In Chinese culture, the horse is a symbol of vitality, passion, loyalty, courage, speed and success, encapsulating the spirit of self-improvement, unyielding progress, and striving for excellence. As the Spring Festival for the Year of the Horse approaches, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, I extend my early New Year greetings to all guests and friends. May you be as vigorous as a horse, and gallop ahead in all your endeavors, with success trotting up to you!

The Spring Festival is the most cherished traditional festival of the Chinese nation, carrying people’s longing for home and reunion. It embodies profound connotations—bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, fostering family bonds, passing on cultural traditions and strengthening social cohesion—thus becoming a shared cultural memory of Chinese communities worldwide. The cultural charm of the Spring Festival has spread beyond China’s borders to the whole world. Having been included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the festival has also become an official holiday of the United Nations and some countries. In Singapore, the Spring Festival vibe is unique yet strong. Orchard Road is adorned with bright and auspicious lanterns; Chinatown is bustling with exultant crowds; Marina Bay is blooming with luxuriant flowers. All these have filled the Lion City with festive joy and harmony. There is also the Singapore-style "Lo Hei", by which everyone tosses the salad high and shares with each other blessings, fortune and satisfaction.

Dear Friends,

As we say goodbye to the Year of the Snake, let us look back on the extraordinary journey we have traversed. The year 2025 was pivotal in China’s reform and development process, with the 14th Five-Year Plan came to a successful conclusion. In the face of complex and volatile international situations and arduous domestic tasks of reform, development and stability, the Communist Party of China led the Chinese people to rise to challenges, forge ahead with determination, and achieve new major accomplishments in national development. China's GDP exceeded the new threshold of 140 trillion RMB, growing by 5% year-on-year, and its contribution to global growth is expected to be around 30%. From the continuous upgrading of large AI models and the stunning debut of humanoid robots, to the official commissioning of the electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier and Tianwen-2's extraordinary mission to explore asteroids, innovation and creation have become synonymous with China's high-quality development. China solemnly commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and established the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration, demonstrating its firm will and resolve to uphold peace and justice and defend national interests.

The year 2025 also marks the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, a milestone celebrated with a diverse array of events by both sides. The mutual visits by the Premier and Prime Minister of our two countries brought the atmosphere of celebrating diplomatic ties to a climax and injected new vitality into the development of bilateral relations. Both sides stepped up cooperation in fields such as digital economy, green economy, artificial intelligence, new energy and biomedicine, with the depth and breadth of bilateral cooperation expanding all the time. Our Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meetings were successfully held, achieving 27 remarkable outcomes. The China-Singapore Leadership Forum further promoted exchange and mutual learning of governance experience. Strong people-to-people ties have effectively enhanced mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples.

The year 2025 was also an important year of hard work for Chinese compatriots in Singapore. Staff of Chinese-funded institutions, Chinese students, journalists and others worked diligently and supported each other with great patriotism and sense of responsibility for our times, not only achieving new outcomes in their respective roles, but also serving as bridges for China-Singapore relations. You have actively integrated yourselves into local economic and social causes, and made unique contributions to exchanges and cooperation in various fields and the friendly ties between our two countries. Hats off to you all and thank you for your great efforts!

Dear Friends,

At this moment when the Year of the Horse approaches, let us say hello to the new year and write a new chapter of forging ahead with pioneering efforts. The year 2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. China will continue to strive towards the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, steadily promote high-quality development, further deepen opening-up in an all-rounded way, advance common prosperity for all, and continue to write new chapters of the “China Miracle”. China will hold high the banner of building a community with a shared future for mankind, shoulder its responsibilities as a major power, put the four global initiatives into further action, firmly uphold international fairness and justice, and join hands with all nations to create a better future. China will work closely with Singapore to implement the important consensus reached by our leaders, strengthen exchanges and cooperation at all levels and in all fields, and deepen bilateral relations to greater extents. 

Overseas Chinese nationals are always in the hearts of the motherland and their loved ones. The Chinese Embassy will continue to uphold the principle of “diplomacy for the people”, prioritize the well-being and safety of our compatriots, serve everyone wholeheartedly, spare no effort to address pressing concerns, effectively protect your legitimate rights and interests, and improve consular services to new standards. I also hope that in the new year, you can align yourselves with the major trends of our times, pursue new progress with unwavering enthusiasm, work together in unity, and make new and greater contributions to China-Singapore friendship.

Finally, let us raise our glasses together! To the health, happiness and success of all Chinese compatriots and friends from all walks of life in Singapore in the Year of the Horse! Cheers!