During the celebration which was attended by UD faculty members, staff and students, Dr. Eesa M. Al Bastaki, UD President, delivered a welcoming speech, hailing the ever-growing ties between China and UAE in economy, education and many other sectors. He expressed his best wishes for a happy Chinese New Year of the Monkey. Madame Li extended her appreciation to the UDís role in facilitating the CIUDís mission and promoting Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange activities in Dubai. She expressed her wishes to see more staff, faculty and students to learn about China and take a visit to China. She also urged more Chinese students to study at UD. The Chinese Consul-General wished Dr. Al Bastaki and UD best of success in the New Year. Her speech was completely in Arabic. After that, Chinese food was enjoyed with almost 100 people gathering in a festal atmosphere.