Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer have taken the opportunity of the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival and Beijing Winter Olympics to convey their best wishes to the Chinese community in Austria. The two leaders made their gesture of good will during an event held with the Austrian-Chinese Friendship Association in Vienna on January 26. 

"The Olympic Games in Beijing are about to begin, and I would like to convey my best wishes for the successful staging of the Games," Nehammer wrote.

Van der Bellen said China and Austria last year celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. "Over the past 50 years, Chinese living in Austria have made great contributions in a variety of ways to the country’s economic, cultural and educational development."

"The upcoming Winter Olympics in China reminds me of table tennis player Liu Jia, who was the flag bearer of our country at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. That embodies the integration of the Chinese with their new homeland," he said.

The President also said alpine and Nordic skiers from China had been training in Austria since they first began taking part in the Winter Olympics, and have been impressed by the hospitality and kindness of the local people.

"The Year of the Tiger will begin on February 1, and we hope that the power of the tiger will allow us to contain the pandemic and return to fruitful Austria-China relations," the President said, also wishing the Austria's Chinese community a happy and healthy Lunar New Year.

Nehammer said that the two countries had built close economic, scientific and cultural cooperation since establishing diplomatic ties. He also used Chinese pinyin, the commonly used system for Romanizing standard Chinese, to convey his best wishes for good fortune to the Chinese in Austria.

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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