On 18 March, the Chinese Embassy in Malawi held a Spring Festival Fair and Opening Ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges in Malawi. H.E. Ambassador Lu Xu with her spouse Mr. He Jun and around 300 guests attended the Fair, including 6 Malawi’s cabinet members, First Deputy Speaker, leading members of Defence Force and Police Service, as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps and local Chinese community.

In her remarks, Mme. Lu Xu extended her festive greetings to all distinguished guests, commended the sound development of China-Malawi relations, stated that China is willing to take the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African nations and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges as opportunities to further strengthen the traditional friendship between the two countries, promote exchanges and cooperation across various fields, and elevate the China-Malawi strategic partnership to new heights in the Year of the Horse.

Hon. George Thapatula Chaponda, M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, delivered a speech as the Guest of Honor in which he spoke highly of the fruitful results achieved in bilateral cooperation. He emphasized that the friendship between the two countries are guided by the enduring principles of mutual respect and shared development, and expressed Malawi’s willingness to further deepen friendly relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.