On the evening of the 21st, the municipal government of Vienna, the capital of Austria, held a New Year reception at the city hall. Mayor Michael Ludwig congratulated the overseas Chinese and looked forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, and culture with China. On January 21st, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (left) delivered a speech at the Spring Festival reception. During an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Ludwig stated that Vienna has maintained close cooperation with Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu for a long time. Last year, the two sides sent delegations to visit each other multiple times and conducted extensive exchanges in various fields such as economy, trade, and culture. Last year, the number of direct flights between Vienna and Chinese cities increased to four, building more bridges to enhance mutual understanding between the people of Austria and China. At the same time, more and more schools in Vienna are offering Chinese classes, providing more opportunities for Viennese citizens to learn Chinese. Ludwig emphasized that the economic and trade cooperation between Austria and China has achieved fruitful results. He said that China is Austria's second largest source of imports, and Austria's exports to China also achieved rapid growth last year. "We are very pleased to see more Austrian goods and services exported to China. Ludwig also sent New Year's greetings in Chinese. He expressed his hope that the Chinese Lunar Year of the Snake can bring more good luck, and wished that Austria and China would create more opportunities for cultural exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in the new year. More than 200 guests, including representatives from various sectors of Austria and China, as well as local overseas Chinese, attended the reception. (New Society)