Chinese Consul General in Kota Kinabalu Zhu Xinglong Publishes a Spring Festival Message Titled “Gallop into a New Journey in the Year of the Horse”

Chinese Consul General in Kota Kinabalu,Zhu Xinglong, published a spring festival message titled  "Gallop into a New Journey in the Year of the Horse" in mainstream Chinese and English newspaper in Malaysia, including Asia Times, See Hua Daily News, Sin Chew Daily, Overseas Chinese Daily News and Daily Express. The full text is as follows:

As the new year unfolds, a season of renewal is upon us. With 2026 now underway, the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse is just around the corner. On behalf of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu, I'd like to extend my sincere greetings and best wishes to overseas Chinese and friends from all walks of life in Sabah and Labuan. Since assuming office over half a year ago, I have visited many parts of the consular district and engaged in in-depth exchanges with friends from all sectors.  I have truly felt the profound friendship of the people of Sabah and Labuan towards the Chinese people and their eager anticipation for the development of China-Sabah and China-Labuan cooperation. The traditional friendship between China and Sabah-Labuan has a long history, just as a Malay proverb puts it, "water can't be cut apart." Sabah and Labuan have splendidly maintained traditions of Chinese culture, and people-to-people exchanges between China and the region are vibrant. People visit each other frequently, just like visiting relatives. This has provided solid and warm public support for the continuous deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The year 2025 marks the completion of China's 14th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. We have successfully fulfilled the objectives and tasks outlined in the plan. In 2025, China's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded 140 trillion yuan, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. The 14th Five-Year Plan concluded with remarkable "four consecutive leaps" in economic scale - rising from 110 trillion yuan to 120 trillion, then to 130 trillion, and finally surpassing 140 trillion. China's economic strength, scientific and technological abilities, defense capabilities, and composite national strength continue to rise. Clear waters and lush mountains have become a salient feature of our landscape. Our people enjoy a growing sense of gain, happiness and security. We solemnly commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and designated the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration to remember history with people around the world, and express our shared aspiration for cherishing peace. We continued to embrace the world with open arms. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin and the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women were hold successfully. The island-wide special customs operations were launched in the Hainan Free Trade Port. After announcing the three global initiatives on development, security, and civilization, China put forward the Global Governance Initiative to promote a more just and equitable global governance system. The world today is undergoing both changes and turbulence, and some regions are still engulfed in war. China always stands on the right side of history, and is ready to work with all countries to advance world peace and development and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

The year 2025 was also a fruitful year for cooperation between China and the consular district. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Malaysia relations have reached the highest level in history, and the two sides are building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future. This has injected strong impetus into China's cooperation with the consular district in various fields. Over the past year, the Chinese Consulate General has actively played the role of a bridge, supporting more Chinese enterprises to invest and develop in the consular district. Chinese companies have participated in a number of infrastructure projects in Sabah, including the expansion of Sepanggar Port Terminal, the Pan Borneo Highway, the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park Port, and the Upper Padas Hydropower Station. Kibing Group has cumulatively invested RM3.4 billion, creating nearly 2,500 jobs in Sabah. Benefiting from the continued implementation of the visa-free policy between China and Malaysia, the number of Chinese tourists to Sabah exceeded 690,000 in 2025, accounting for 46% of its total international tourists and representing a year-on-year increase of 43%. In October, Minzu University of China and Universiti Malaysia Sabah successfully co-hosted the "Confucian-Islamic Civilizational Dialogue", injecting new vitality into nourishing people-to-people amity. In December, the Sabah Village Cooperation Delegation paid a successful visit to Hainan Province of China, and the two sides conducted active exchanges on industrial poverty alleviation, rural revitalization and other fields. After Sabah was hit by flood and landslide disasters, the Consulate General donated disaster relief supplies to the Sabah State Disaster Management Committee through the Kota Kinabalu City Hall, embodying the profound friendship of the Chinese people towards the people of Sabah. We also awarded Consul General Scholarships and Student Assistance Grants, and Outstanding Teacher Awards to hundreds of primary and secondary school students and teachers in Sabah. Each and every cooperation project and people-to-people exchange serves as a vivid testament to the friendship and cooperation between China and the consular district.

The year 2026 marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan. The Chinese Consulate General stands ready to work with friends from all walks of life in the consular district to  promote the in-depth alignment of China's 15th Five-Year Plan with the Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 development blueprint, expand practical cooperation in various fields such as the blue economy, green economy, tourism development, agriculture and rural development, and subnational exchanges, deliver greater benefits to the people of both places, and jointly write a new chapter for the next "Golden 50 Years" of China-Malaysia relations.

The Spring Festival of the Chinese Lunar Year of the Horse is approaching. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes the spirit of forging ahead with perseverance and striving for progress. At this happy moment to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year, I sincerely wish that in the coming year:

China-Malaysia friendly relations take the lead, cooperation between China and the consular district accelerates, and the people of both countries move forward with vigour and spirit.

May all friends enjoy happiness and good health, may all your wishes be fulfilled. Happy new year, and may success come swiftly in the Year of the Horse.