On February 10, 2026, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held the “Galloping Steadily Toward Progress in the Year of the Horse” 2026 Chinese New Year Reception.

Ambassador Xie said in his remarks that this year China will kick off its 15th Five-Year Plan, and the U.S. will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence. We will also respectively host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the G20 Summit. All these will provide new opportunities for deepening our cooperation. Not only should we enhance cooperation in traditional areas such as economy and trade, agriculture and energy, but we should also foster new growth points in sectors like counternarcotics, law enforcement, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and combating transnational crime.

Ambassador Xie noted that this year also marks the 55th anniversary of ping-pong diplomacy.A new chapter is unfolding in our people’s friendship. From the “50,000 in five years” initiative that has yielded fruitful outcomes, to pickleball diplomacy building new bridges for exchange, and to the popular trend of “Becoming Chinese” among Americans, our people are eager to reach out to each other and come closer together. After China rolled out the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, many American friends have seized the opportunity to experience China. Young people, in particular, have been excitedly sharing their fascinating China adventure on social media. From the majestic Great Wall to the bustling Bund, from Sichuan-style hotpot to Cantonese dim sum, people marvel that the 240-hour journey turns out to be a feast of enchanting culture, modern development and delicious cuisine. After coming back from China, many Americans have sent emails to our Embassy to “complain”, saying that while 240 hours is already great, they hope it could be extended to 2,400 hours, so they could have more time knowing, exploring and enjoying China. China’s doors will always be open to friends from all around the world. We hope the U.S. side will act in the same spirit, and remove bottlenecks in visa application, border entry and direct flights, so as to provide greater convenience for people-to-people exchanges.