U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivered a Lunar New Year message Thursday (Feb. 11) to send wishes to friends around the world for the Year of the Ox.
In a statement, he said, “I wish all my friends around the world good health, peace, and fortune as we celebrate the Lunar New Year on Feb. 12.” (good health, peace, and fortune)
He added, “As millions of Americans celebrate the Lunar New Year, the United States joins with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity and values, and we invite all nations to join us in building a better world for future generations.”
He concluded his statement by saying, “We hope that the Year of the Ox will bring greater success and opportunity for all.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price later joined in sending well wishes. He tweeted, “I join the Secretary of State in wishing health and safety and all the best to our friends around the world who are celebrating this holiday. Happy Year of the Ox to you and your Family.”
Just one day earlier, President Biden spoke with Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping. It was the first call between the two sides since Biden’s victory in the U.S. presidential election in November.
President Biden expressed his greetings and good wishes to the Chinese people, while Xi wished both countries “a happy New Year and a prosperous Year of the Ox. In addition to exchanging wishes for the Year of the Ox, the two also exchanged views on important international issues such as U.S.-China relations and the New Guinea virus outbreak.
In a statement, the White House said, “President Biden highlighted fundamental concerns about Beijing‘s coercive and unfair economic practices, its crackdown on Hong Kong, its human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and its increasingly assertive behavior in the region, including toward Taiwan.”
Blinken had conveyed Lunar New Year wishes to Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Central Committee’s Foreign Affairs Working Committee Office, in a phone call with him last week.
During that call, Blinken also touched on numerous major issues, including what is happening to Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang province, the Hong Kong issue, developments in U.S. relations with Taiwan and U.S.-China trade issues, among others. He also emphasized that the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values – including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
Blinken, who supports a tough approach to the Chinese Communist Party, also said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s MSNBC that the Communist Party poses the “most significant challenge” to the United States.
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