On the evening of January 8, 2008, the Chinese Ambassador to India Mr. Zhang Yan with his wife hosted a reception in New Delhi on the occasion of assuming the new post. Indian Government officials, diplomats in India and friends from all walks of life attended the reception.

In his speech, Ambassador Zhang expressed that he felt honored to be appointed the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to India at this important stage of development of China-India relations. He said China and India, as two largest developing countries, face the same task of achieving a sustainable development for the betterment of our people and share the vision of building a harmonious world. To fulfill these aspirations, we are committed to developing and strengthening the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity between the two countries. We have more consensus than differences. A good relationship between China and India will not only benefit the 2.4 billion people of both countries, but also the entire world. The new Chinese ambassador said he would work tirelessly to further this relationship.

The atmosphere of the reception was cordial and friendly. All the guests extended congratulations and welcome to Ambassador Zhang on his assumption of the post. They spoke highly of the development of China-India friendly ties and wished the continuous development of Sino-Indian friendly relations.