(Lesotho Convention Center, 6 Feb. 2012)

The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister

Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly

Your Lordship President of the Court of Appeal

Your Lordship the Chief Justice

Hon. Deputy Prime Minister

Hon. Minister Ramaili and other Ministers

Your Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations

Honorary Consuls

Other Senior Government officials,

Distinguished Guests,

Friends from the News Media,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good evening!

When the Chinese people all over the world are celebrating their traditional festival-Spring Festival, we are happy to have the China National Acrobatic Troupe coming and giving their performances here in this beautiful "Mountain Kingdom" of Lesotho, at the invitation by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture. First of all, please allow me, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy and the Acrobatic Troupe to express our warm welcome and thanks to you all for your presence.

Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China, which has a history of over two thousand years. It is the enjoyable moment for people to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, to have family reunion no matter how far you are away from home, and to look forward to a better and brighter future.

According to Chinese lunar calendar, this year is the year of dragon. Dragon is the totem of Chinese nation and occupies a special position in Chinese culture. It is a symbol of power, prosperity, good luck and good weather and so on. So with the coming of the Chinese Acrobatic Troupe, they will not only bring with them goodwill and friendship of the Chinese people towards the Basotho people, but also with festive happiness, joy and good luck to share with our Basotho brothers and sisters.

The visit also shows that the Chinese Government attaches great importance to the development of China-Lesotho relations. As the saying goes: amity between people holds the key to the sound relations between states. Cultural exchanges and people to people contacts can play a big role in this aspect. I am happy to see that recent years have witnessed fruitful cultural exchanges between our two countries, and people to people contacts have become more frequent. I sincerely hope that this visit and the performances given by the Chinese Acrobatic Troupe here in Lesotho will demonstrate the long history, broad and profound Chinese culture, and convey a message to the Basotho people, as well as the people all over the world that Chinese people are longing for peace, friendship and harmony, and ready to work with them for a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity. I also hope that the performances given tonight by the artists of both countries will provide another good opportunity for us to learn from each other and draw on each other's experience, and through this visit, help to further deepen the mutual understanding between our two peoples, to enhance the friendly cooperative relations of mutual benefits between China and Lesotho, and to make Chinese and Basotho peoples become good friends, good partners and good brothers forever.

Ladies and gentlemen,

China National Acrobatic Troupe was founded in 1950 under the care and attention of late Premier Zhou Enlai. It was the first national performing arts troupe established by the Central Government of China and is one of the best acrobatic circuses boasting of the largest scale and the most comprehensive programs in China. Up to now, the Troupe has visited more than 120 countries and won 52 golden Awards at some famous festivals both at domestic and abroad. The performance tonight, called Chinese Marvels, is specially designed for Lesotho, which combines of acrobatics, ballet, magic and martial arts. I believe the excellent performances will bring joy and happiness to everyone here tonight. And today happens to be the Lantern Festival, also called Chinese Valentine's Day, marking the end of lunar new-year celebration. With full moon up in the sky and lovely people down on earth, this would surely make this evening more pleasant and unforgettable. Please enjoy everyone!

Before the conclusion of my remark, I wish to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Government of Lesotho, the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture for their kind invitation, and to Hon. Minister Ramaili and her team for their hard work, good cooperation and wonderful arrangement, without which all these would not be possible.

Finally, I wish the performance a complete success!

Thank you!