On February 12, Chinese Embassy in Eritrea held a reception celebrating the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival. Ambassador Li Xiang attended and celebrated the new year and the Lantern Festival together with friends from China and Eritrea. Ministers of Eritrean Government and the PFDJ, representatives of the diplomatic corps, Eritrean officials, guests from all walks of life, representatives of Chinese institutions in Eritrea and teachers and students from the Confucius Institute participated.

Ambassador Li extended his most sincere festival greetings and best new year wishes to all guests, and said the culture of Spring Festival originates from China but belongs to the world. As Spring Festival, the social practice of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year, been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Spring Festival culture has gone global and been deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

Ambassador Li reviewed China-Eritrea relations and international situation in 2024, and said in 2024, China took solid steps on the path to modernization, China-Eritrea relations maintained stable growth with new progress being made, and the world has trudged forward amid intersection of changes and turbulence, while the Global South rose in a faster pace. Ambassador Li stressed that the year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the world anti-fascist war, and also the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN. At the same time, changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world. On this important occasion of the beginning the Year of Snake, it is imperative to rise above estrangement and conflict with a broad vision, and care for the future of humanity with great passion. China will continue to focus on managing its own affairs effectively, and provide new opportunities for the world through Chinese modernization. China will work with Eritrea to firmly defend world peace and international fairness and justice, make China-Eritrea Strategic Partnership even better, and contribute to the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.  

During the reception, performances were put up by diplomats and students from the Confucius Institute, as well as Eritrean dancing groups, and cultural activities such as paper cutting, calligraphy, tea ceremony and lantern riddle guessing were set up for guests to experience.