(Thursday January 23, 2025).
Your Highness Tuimaleali’ifano Va’aleto’a Sualauvi II, Head of the State,
Honorable Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Prime Minister,
Honorable Ministers,
Honorable Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, Leader of Opposition
Members of Parliament，
Colleagues of Diplomatic Corps,
Representatives of Chinese community(中资机构和侨胞代表),
Ladies and Gentlemen, friends,
Talofa lava. Good evening!晚上好！
Today, we gather together to celebrate the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation – the Spring Festival， which falls on Jan 29. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Samoa, I would like to wish everyone good luck and all the best for the year!
This is a wonderful Spring Festival for Chinese modernization. In 2024, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a systematic deployment on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization.
China’s economy recovered and improved, and its GDP amounted to 134.9 trillion yuan (US$ 18.4 trillion), expanded by 5%.
China has been promoting global governance reform and working with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
The Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative have received widespread support. China is committed to advancing Chinese modernization with high-quality development, promoting common development of the world with high-level opening up, and making new contributions to the cause of human peace and progress.
This is a joyful Spring Festival to be shared globally. Spring Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday, during which families gather together, paste couplets, set off firecrackers and eat dumplings.
Spring Festival has a history of about a hundred years in Samoa. In 1927, Samoa Times reported on Chinese workers’ celebration of the Festival.
Nowadays, it has become a statutory holiday in nearly 20 countries, and its folk activities are held in about 200 countries and regions. In 2024, the Chinese Spring Festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list for humanity, transcending national and regional boundaries and becoming the common spiritual wealth of mankind.
This is a Spring Festival of Hope ushering in a new era of our relations. China and Samoa established diplomatic ties in 1975, and 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. In November 2024, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang respectively met with visiting Prime Minister Fiame in Beijing.
The leaders of our two countries agreed to further deepen political mutual trust, strengthen practical cooperation, and promote the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, pointing out the direction for the future development of bilateral relations. The two governments also issued a joint statement and signed multiple cooperation agreements. Tonight, Mr Agafili Shem Leo and I signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption on behalf of our respective government.
This demonstrates our joint effort in implementing the broad consensus of our leaders and outcomes of Prime Minister Fiame’s fruitful visit, and will surely benefit our citizens travelling between the two countries.
Tonight also kicks off a series of celebrations for the 50th anniversary. In the beautiful spring of China-Samoa relations, let’s join hands together, to build a closer China-Samoa community with shared future, for the well-being of our generations to come.
Ladies and gentlemen, I assumed my duties in Samoa in Jan 2024. Since then, with the firm support of the Samoan government and all friends, the new premises of the Chinese Embassy has been launched.
The Samoa Police Academy has been completed and handed over to the Samoan Government. Partnership between China medical team, SCATAP and sports complex experts and their Samoan colleagues has been further strengthened. Construction of three primary schools (Apia, St Thersa and Lepea) was started and is now in full swing. Right in this room, I listened to representatives of women organizations and farmers, talked with delegations of both countries, danced with primary school kids, and farewelled more than 200 young Samoans going to China for study and training.
I also learned about the sea catch from fishermen in Apia Fish Market, tasted Samoan coffee at Vaisala Hotel in Savaii, and saw soil erosion impacted by climate change in Malolo Island… Most importantly, I was so impressed by the resilience of Samoa and its people, and more confident of the future of China-Samoa relations.
In 5 days, it will be the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake. On this auspicious occasion, may I propose a toast:
To your health and family happiness,
To prosperity of China and Samoa,
and to the long-standing friendship between Chinese and Samoan peoples. Cheers! Thank you. 谢谢！
