Vanuatu is known as the "back garden of Australia," featuring vast oceans, beautiful islands, hospitable residents, and a fascinating underwater world. We welcome friends from all over the world to visit for tourism or to immigrate and settle down. China and Vanuatu enjoy broad prospects for cooperation, and the two countries have achieved remarkable results in exchanges and cooperation in fields such as economy, trade, culture, education, and energy. Recently, Ambassador to Vanuatu Xie Bohua, in his capacity as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Vanuatu, hosted a New Year and Christmas reception for the diplomatic corps. More than 80 people attended, including diplomatic envoys from various countries, representatives of UN agencies in Vanuatu, and officials from the Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In his speech, Ambassador Xie pointed out that 2015 was a very busy and meaningful year for the diplomatic corps in Vanuatu. Members of the diplomatic corps have done a great deal of practical and effective work for Vanuatu's hurricane relief and post-disaster reconstruction, which has been highly praised by the government and people of Vanuatu. He expressed his hope that the diplomatic corps would continue to provide assistance for the implementation of Vanuatu's two-year post-disaster reconstruction plan, so that the national economy can recover as soon as possible and the living standards of the people can be further improved. Finally, Ambassador Xie extended New Year and Christmas greetings to the guests present, hoping that the diplomatic corps would use this event as a platform for exchange to enhance understanding and friendship.
Subsequently, our embassy in Vanuatu, the Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Australian High Commission in Vanuatu, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, and the New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu performed wonderful programs. The atmosphere was very enthusiastic, and the event was a complete success.