DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanians on Friday evening joined overseas Chinese to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, at the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania.
Speaking at the event, which gathered diplomats, officials, and community members to highlight the deepening friendship between the two nations, James Kinyasi Millya, Tanzania's deputy minister of foreign affairs and East African cooperation, conveyed warm greetings to the Chinese people and the overseas Chinese community on behalf of the Tanzanian government.
Millya thanked the Chinese embassy for organizing the event, noting that such cultural exchanges strengthen people-to-people ties between the two nations.
Reflecting on the past year, Millya said Tanzania and China achieved notable progress through increased engagement among leaders, institutions, and citizens.
Millya described China as one of Tanzania's most important strategic partners. He also welcomed growing economic ties, citing expanding trade, rising Chinese investment, and flourishing cultural and educational exchanges.
He further noted that 2026 has been designated the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, offering new opportunities to deepen cooperation in culture, education, skills development, and tourism.
Addressing the gathering, Wang Yong, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, said the Spring Festival symbolizes reunion, vitality, and aspiration.
Wang said China-Tanzania relations have continued to strengthen, marked by closer political trust, expanded economic cooperation, and deeper people-to-people exchanges. ■