Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finances Wilhelm Molterer, who is also the head of the People's Party (OeVP), on Friday sent Spring Festival greetings and wished all Chinese people a happy new year.

"Chinese people all over the world will be celebrating the Spring Festival on Feb.18, which will be a special new start of the coming Year of the Pig, and the pig also has some special significance in Austrian culture, where it is a symbol of good luck and prosperity," he said in his letter.

He also added, "China and Austria have good traditional relations and have always cooperated in both political and economic areas, and over the past years, about 220 Austrian corporations have settled in China."

Moreover, Molterer also highlighted the fruitful achievements of the cooperation between China and Austria, especially in the areas of high technology and environmental protection.

Currently China is already the most important commercial partner of Austria in Asia, and an increasing number of Chinese people are considering Austria as an attractive tourist destination, Molterer said.

In his letter, Molterer believed that "the lucky pig" will bring more luck to the partnership between both countries in the coming new year.

With the New Golden Pig Year approaching, the number of Chinese Spring Festival celebrations by local Chinese communities are increasing, not only in the Austrian capital Vienna, but also in many small cities in the country.

Source: Xinhua