On December 9, 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the New Year Reception 2012 in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse for foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations in China. More than 400 Chinese and foreign guests, including State Councilor Dai Bingguo and officials of government agencies attended the reception.

Addressing the event, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi extended gratitude to the diplomats for their support and help for China's diplomatic work over the past year. He said that the year 2011 witnessed extraordinary development of international situation. World multi-polarization, economic globalization and social informatization developed deeply and countries became more interdependent. Peace and development, as the trends of the times, grew stronger. Meanwhile, the uncertainties in the international situation remained prominent, the recovery of world economy was still fragile and unbalanced and some global challenges became increasingly prominent. In front of unprecedented new opportunities and new challenges, pursuing peace, seeking development and promoting cooperation constitute the irresistible trends and accord with the will of the people.

He pointed out that the year 2011 also witnessed major progress of China's peaceful development. China held the grand celebrations on the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, kicked off the 12th Five-Year Plan smoothly and maintained the stable and relatively fast economic growth. China strengthened coordination and cooperation with all the major countries in the world, deepened the good-neighborly and friendly relations with neighboring countries, consolidated the traditional friendship with developing countries, took an active part in the reform of global economic governance and made efforts to push for the cooling down and settlement of hot-spot issues. China also took the opportunity of promoting vigorous development and prosperity of culture to engage in cultural exchanges and enhance the understanding and friendship with foreign countries.

He noted that China will unswervingly pursue the road of peaceful development, adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace, implement the mutually beneficial strategy of opening up and continue to make unremitting efforts for the recovery and development of world economy and peace and stability in the world.

Nolana Ta Ama, Ambassador of Togo and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in China expressed best New Year wishes to the Chinese government and people and extended congratulations on the outstanding diplomatic achievements of China in 2011. He said that in the past year the Chinese people, under the guidance of the Chinese government, worked hard to eradicate poverty and advance economic and social development, successfully overcame the natural disasters and played a key role of preventing and reducing environmental degradation and climate change. At the same time, China was committed to practicing the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, enhancing good-neighborly friendship with relevant countries, promoting multilateral and bilateral cooperation, maintaining stability in the region and pushing for the establishment of a fair, just, inclusive and orderly international economic order and made important contributions to peace, security and development in the world. He sincerely wishes the friendly and cooperative relations between China and the rest of the world continue to develop next year.