China Media Group (CMG) held a special promotion event for its 2026 Spring Festival Gala in Cairo on Friday, gathering guests from across sectors to foster cultural exchange and celebrate the Chinese New Year on a global stage.

The event was jointly hosted by CMG, the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Egyptian Tourism Authority. More than 200 guests from political, cultural, media circles and the League of Arab States attended the event, titled "Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala, the World Watches the CMG Gala Together".

Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of CMG, delivered a video address. He noted that the Spring Festival is a cultural symbol of Chinese civilization that has endured for thousands of years and a spiritual bond connecting Chinese people around the world.

He added that this year’s CMG Spring Festival Gala will apply innovative technological achievements such as "5G+4K/8K+AI", while leveraging its strengths in broadcasting in 85 languages to present a cultural feast for audiences both at home and abroad.

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf attended the event and delivered a speech. He said that the choice of the Grand Egyptian Museum as the venue for the event is of great significance, serving as a vivid testament to the mutual understanding, exchanges and harmonious coexistence between the two ancient civilizations of Egypt and China.

Sharaf noted that 2026 is the Year of the Horse, which in Chinese culture symbolizes strength, progress and vitality, as well as the spirit of confidently embracing the future. This spiritual connotation highly aligns with the current sound momentum of Egypt-China relations. He expressed the hope that the two countries will move forward hand in hand toward a brighter future.

The Spring Festival, the most significant traditional festival in China that marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, will fall on Feb 17 this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.