WITH the world beset by conflicts, economic turbulence and climate crisis, world leaders rang in the new year with renewed appeals for unity, resilience, peace — and hope that better days lie ahead.
President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait of Chinese Taipei share a bond of blood and kinship.
“The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable,” Xi said as he delivered his 2026 New Year message in Beijing. In his annual New Year’s Eve address on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the unity of the Russian people “determines the sovereignty and security of our Fatherland, its development, and its future”. “The New Year is, above all, a time when we hope for the best, for goodness and good luck,” Putin noted.
As South Africa hosted the first G20 summit on African soil in 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Wednesday that the country stands proud that its presidency ensured the voices of Africa and the Global South were “recognized, reflected and respected”. “Despite the challenges we face, our country is getting stronger, our economy is improving,” he added.
Vowing “a sweeping leap and growth in all fields”, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged commitment to stable growth underpinned by peace in 2026. Despite fractured trade and rising geopolitical tensions, global economic growth proved “more resilient than anticipated” said Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to “defeat the decline and division offered by others” in his New Year message on Wednesday. In his speech, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined his three wishes for the French people: unity, strength and hope.
Xinhua
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