Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

Good morning.

The shooting incident, which occured in the city of Monterey Park on Lunar New Year’s Eve, was shocking and distressing. The resilience and solidarity of the Chinese community is touching and makes us believe that the community will emerge from the difficult situation soon. Now please allow me to propose a one-minute silence to express our deep condolences to the victims, among whom are Chinese citizens, and their families.

It is a great honor for me to take the role of the 12th Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles at the start of the Year of the Rabbit. Los Angeles, known as the City of Angels and the second largest metropolis in the United States, is a city full of vitality and glamour. I am deeply inspired by the lofty mission and the great responsibility as I start a  new leg of my career journey here. I arrived only a couple of days ago and have already felt the warmth and hospitality of the local governments, the public and the Chinese community.

The Spring Festival is the most solemn and important festival in Chinese culture. It is a time for Chinese people, home and abroad, to enjoy family reunion. Thanks to its rich traditions and cultural meanings, the Spring Festival is gaining more and more popularity around the world including the United States. Last September, California became the first to recognize Lunar New Year as an official state holiday in the country. This is a recognition of the Chinese community’s contributions to local economic, social development and cultural diversity. On my way here I saw that there are many Chinese Red ornaments and lovely rabbit dolls in the zoo. It feels like I’m surrounded by the joyful atmosphere of Lunar New Year. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, I would like to extend festive greetings and best wishes to everyone here.

China and San Diego Zoo have had close exchange and cooperation in wildlife protection over the years with fruitful outcomes. The San Diego Zoo Giant Panda Program is the first China-US joint program on giant panda conservation. During their stay here, our giant pandas received a lot of love from American friends. The Program has not only promoted our cooperation and research on the protection of endangered species and biodiversity, but also deepened the friendship and mutual understanding between our two peoples. San Diego Zoo has held Lunar New Year celebration since last year, which turns out to be another success. I would like to express my sincere thanks to San Diego Zoo for your commitment to the conservation of giant pandas and the friendship between Chinese and American people.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A sound and steady China-US relationship bears the future of our two countries and the fundamental well-beings of our two peoples. The meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Biden last November provided strategic guidance and important opportunities for China-US relations. The successes of China and the United States are opportunities, not challenges, for each other. Standing at this new starting point of the new year, we hope that the two sides could make joint efforts to bring China-US relations back to the right track of sound and steady development.

Sub-national exchange and cooperation is the significant foundation of China-US relationship. Southern California and China share close ties all along, and benefit from favorable conditions and unique advantages to further strengthen such ties. We believe the potential is great and the prospect is bright for our cooperation. We need to uphold the spirit of friendship, remain committed to sub-national exchange and cooperation, and continue to consolidate such relations to bring more benefits to our people.

Friends, the Lantern Festival is coming, which usually witnesses the first full moon of the year, and indicates a fresh start with spring returning to the earth. In China, it symbolizes family gathering. In this sense, our gathering today is the best way to celebrate. Looking ahead, I look forward to having more engagement with our friends and working together to enhance the friendship between our two peoples and contribute to the sound and steady development of China-US relations.

I wish San Diego Zoo great success in the Year of the Rabbit. I wish you and your families health and happiness. Happy Lantern Festival to all!

Thank you.