On behalf of all staff members of our Consulate General of China in Kolkata and the Chinese Community in the city, I would fist express my sincere thanks to all of you for coming and joining with us to celebrate the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year in Kolkata.

Nowadays, Spring Festival, the most important Chinese traditional festival, is celebrated not only in China but also all over the world wherever Chinese communities are there.

The Chinese in Kolkata are a unique ethnic group in India. Settled down here for more than one hundred years and most of them are Indian citizens now, they have made their great contribution to the local economic development and the understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Indian peoples. We are grateful to you and we are proud of you!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been here already five months now. Our task is to set up our consular office in Kolkata. To reopen the Consulate General of China in Kolkata after 45 years is a fact which strongly indicates the significant improvement in China-India relations. We will do our best to serve the great cause of China-India friendship.

Now, for people in Eastern India, to visit China is becoming easier. We are preparing to issue visas here after only two months. And then you can take a direct flight between Kolkata and Kunming and it takes only two hours to get to China.

Ladies and Gentlemen, China in 2008 will be an exciting land. The Olympic Games will be held in Beijing in August. We wish you will visit China. We wish you will pay your attention to China.

Thank you!