Secretary of State Rubio sent New Year's greetings for the Lunar New Year immediately! On February 16, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that he extended festival greetings to those celebrating the Lunar New Year in the United States and around the world. This day is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the next day will be the first day of the Year of the Horse. I would like to represent the United States of America and extend the warmest wishes to all those celebrating the Lunar New Year.
As we enter the Year of the Horse, we pay tribute to the traditional customs that make this festival meaningful to millions of people in the United States and around the world. The Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions, reflecting on the past, and looking forward to the opportunities of the coming year with hope and determination. May the new year bring health, happiness, and success to all celebrants. Obviously, Rubio's sending of Lunar New Year greetings on the eve of the festival is worth pondering!
From the perspective of timing, it is the standard time for diplomatic etiquette. In fact, since the 1970s, it has become an established diplomatic practice for presidents and secretaries of state to send Spring Festival greetings. Rubio is merely following the procedure. Before this, Rubio met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Munich, and using a low-sensitivity holiday greeting indicates that the United States wants to continue to stabilize Sino-US relations and deal with us in a pragmatic manner.
However, it must also be pointed out that when Rubio issued his greetings, he did not use "Chinese New Year," but instead mentioned "Lunar New Year." This somewhat weakens the connection between the new year and China. From the perspective of Sino-US interactions, the United States has not timely sent greetings to us for two years, namely 2017 and 2024, which certainly symbolizes the ups and downs of Sino-US relations. This time, Rubio continued the convention, which may mean that Rubio intends to set a good tone for Sino-US relations this year.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857330112744522/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.