BEIJING, Jan. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday stressed efforts to ensure a joyful and peaceful Lunar New Year when he held virtual talks with the general public from across the country ahead of the Spring Festival.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, spoke with medical workers in a hospital, senior citizens at a nursing home, workers at an outlying oilfield, travelers and staff members at a high-speed railway station, vendors and customers at a wholesale market, and people in an ethnic minority village via video link in Beijing.

Addressing the general public afterwards, Xi first extended greetings to all Chinese people and especially to those who are sticking to their posts during the holiday.

He said his biggest wish is that everyone will have a happy Lunar New Year.

He called on Party committees and governments at all levels to ensure the supply of electricity, gas and heating during the holiday, tighten supervision over food safety, and implement the measures for epidemic prevention and control to prevent all kinds of emergencies and safety accidents, so as to make sure that people of all ethnic groups in the country can have a joyful and peaceful Spring Festival.

Xi also acknowledged the achievements made in various areas in the past year and encouraged everyone to reap even more fruitful results in the new year.

This year's Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 22.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJvBEmKGh4