President Xi Jinping on Friday extended Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese at a reception in Beijing.

Xi delivered a speech at the Great Hall of the People, greeting Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese.

The president pointed out that in the past year the country had optimised epidemic control measures to protect people's lives, safety and health, and to minimise the impact on economic and social life.

The Beijing Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympics, he added, were held successfully.

He also pointed out that Hong Kong and Macau continued to prosper and that stability had been maintained. He stressed the country firmly carried out its fight against separatism and struggled against interference.

Looking forward, Xi said that 2023 is the first year to fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

On Wednesday, he had inspected the combat readiness of the armed forces via video link.

The president extended festive greetings to service personnel of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force, civilian personnel posted in the military, and members of militia and reserve forces.

Xi called on the military to fulfill their combat readiness duties and safeguard national security and social stability to ensure that all Chinese people are able to have a happy and safe Spring Festival. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)
______________________________
Last updated: 2023-01-20 HKT 16:25