An undated photo of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that cooperation between China and the United States is very important to the international community.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joseph R. Biden wished each other good fortune in the Year of the Ox

"We welcome any direct communications between the world's two largest economies. Cooperation between China and the United States is very important to the international community as we face numerous challenges, especially climate change and the current COVID-19 pandemic," the UN chief told Xinhua through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday morning (Beijing time) took a phone call from US President Joseph R. Biden on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The two presidents wished each other good fortune in the Year of the Ox, and had an in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and major international and regional issues.

Separately, the president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Volkan Bozkir, on Thursday wished a happy Lunar New Year to the Chinese people.

In a message, the UNGA president noted that "in Chinese culture, the ox represents positivity, courage, honesty and hard work - all of which are central to the work we do at the UN."
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"May the Year of the Ox bring us joy and health," Bozkir said.

Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In 2021, the first day of the Chinese New Year is on Feb 12, which is also the Year of the Ox.