China's overseas ambassadors have sent their best wishes to their motherland and its people for the lunar new year, the year of the tiger, which falls on Sunday.

OVERSEAS CHINESE IN MOTHERLAND'S HEART

For Zheng Qingdian, ambassador to the violence-ridden Afghanistan, always being thought about by the motherland means happiness, strength and courage to face up to difficulties.

"The motherland is always thinking about our safety and danger. As a country becoming stronger and stronger, the motherland has turned out to be our powerful backing. No matter how hard a situation we're to live in, never forget for a single moment that there are 1.3 billion people standing behind us," he said in his new year message.

"The Chinese nationals and Chinese Afghanistanis are living in the country with great courage and the spirit of optimism ... and exhibit a positive mental outlook," he said.

Ambassador to Iraq Chang Yi said the Chinese there were living with the scourge of war, but China's diplomats in the war-torn country would stick to their posts, live up to the mission assigned to them and strive to make bigger contributions to the motherland's cause of diplomacy in the new year.

Zhao Wuyi, ambassador to Peru, said it was the lofty duty for a diplomat to work for the interests of the motherland and its people.

"We're building up a diplomatic "Great Wall" with the strong backup of our motherland and the people," he said in his new year message.

BEST WISHES FOR MOTHERLAND

The overseas Chinese diplomats have a better understanding of the motherland's affection.

Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong said he hoped the Chinese American community, overseas Chinese students and the staff of Chinese enterprises and institutions in the U.S. could make important contributions to the development of the U.S. economy and society, to the motherland's modernization and to the development of Sino-U.S. relations with their hard work and wisdom.

Ambassador to Russia Li Hui, Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao, and Ambassador to Egypt Wu Chunhua sent their greetings, wishing China a brighter future, its economy faster growth, its society stability and harmony, and its people a happy life.

From Addis Ababa, the roof of Africa, Ambassador to Ethiopia Gu Xiaojie wished for a more prosperous and thriving motherland.

Ambassador to Brazil Qiu Xiaoqi said the motherland always stood behind the overseas Chinese to give them powerful support.

He said a stronger China would provide a broader stage for the overseas Chinese to develop themselves and, meanwhile, he expected the overseas Chinese could spread the Chinese culture, support the economic construction of the motherland, and contribute to China's peaceful reunification.

Ambassador to France Kong Quan was upbeat about China's future, saying he was confident that 2010 would become a year of sustained and rapid development for China's reform and opening-up process, and the upcoming World Expo in Shanghai this May would strongly push forward China's communication and cooperation with the world.

Source: Xinhua