Chinese leaders extend Spring Festival greetings to people

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-06-2008 08:00

With a day to go to the Chinese New Year, top Chinese leaders have gathered in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. More than 4,000 people from all walks of life attended Tuesday's annual event.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, also general  secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central  Military Commission, delivers a speech at a  grand Spring Festival gathering in Beijing,  capital of China, Feb. 5, 2008. The celebration  was jointly held by the CPC Central Committee  and the State Council on Tuesday.(Xinhua Photo)

The celebration began with an upbeat tone. President Hu Jintao chaired the gathering and expressed his best wishes to people from all walks of life.

Hu Jintao said, "On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, I want to give the most sincere regards to people all over China, including those in the areas hit by snow, and those who are fighting against the disaster. I also want to extend my greetings to the people in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and to overseas Chinese. Finally I want to express gratitude to our overseas friends who support China's modernization. I wish you a happy new year, sound health and a happy family."

Addressing the gathering, Premier Wen Jiabao said that the reform and opening-up has seen great achievements in the past year with the improvement of people's quality of life.

The Premier noted that the latest heavy snow has cut off power supply and traffic, severely affected economic development and brought great difficulties to the people. But with considerable effort, he said the emergency has gradually eased and the economy has remained stable throughout the country. He stressed that this was due to the government's quick response and effective measures, together with the efforts of the people and military forces.