British PM sends New Year message to Chinese

LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron sent his wishes to those celebrating the Chinese New Year on Friday.

"As we welcome the Year of the Snake, the celebrations here in Britain will remind us once again of the richness of Chinese culture and the incredible contribution that our Chinese communities make here in Britain," he said in a video clip on the official website of the Prime Minister's office.

China and Britain are seeing closer ties between their peoples. In Britain there are more than 100,000 Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students in Britain and more than 3,000 British students in China.

"Britain's link with China are becoming ever stronger and ever deeper," he said. "As the most open economy in Europe, I want Chinese investors to know that Britain will remain a voice for openness and a force against protectionism in the EU now and in the years ahead."

He also expressed his wish to work with China's new leadership.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping recently wrote to tell me that with joint efforts on both sides UK-China relations will continue to forge ahead," he said.

"I share that determination...I hope that the year of the Snake can be a great year for Britain, for China and for us all," he added, before concluding the message in Chinese: Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year).