Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Shen Bo Attends 2026 'Happy Chinese New Year' Gala in the Netherlands

On February 14, Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Shen Bo attended the 2026 "Happy Chinese New Year" Gala, held in The Hague City Hall, celebrating the Year of the Horse. Nearly 1,000 guests were present at the event, including Mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, diplomatic envoys in the Netherlands, and representatives from the local Chinese community.

Ambassador Shen Bo extended warm festive greetings for the Year of the Horse to all the guests. He said that the Chinese New Year embodies the people's aspiration for a better life, which is the unwavering goal of the Communist Party of China, as well as the starting point and ultimate aim of Chinese Modernization. Ambassador Shen Bo briefed the guests on China's tremendous economic and social achievements in 2025, and warmly welcomed more Dutch people to visit China to experience its development vitality and achievements in person. He also encouraged the local Chinese community to continue making contributions to promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and the Netherlands.

Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague, senior Dutch officials and representatives from the local Chinese community extended their New Year blessings. They spoke positively of China-Netherlands relations and the contributions made by the local Chinese community to the economic and social development of the Netherlands.

The event was filled with a festive and harmonious atmosphere. The "Happy Chinese New Year" Art Troupe of Zhejiang Wu Opera and local art troupes presented wonderful performances, which won rounds of applause from the audience.