On September 20th, the Chinese Ambassador to Iceland Jin Zhijian and his wife hosted a farewell reception. The reception was attended by former President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former Minister for Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphéðinsson, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Martin Eyjolfsson, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Haukur Guðmundsson, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Iceland Sigríður Á. Andersen,  representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Reykjavik, Icelandic friends from different walks of life, overseas Chinese and Chinese students in Iceland.

In his warm and enthusiastic speech, Ambassador Jin reviewed his two periods of experiences of studying and working in Iceland for more than 9 years with deep love. He spoke highly of China-Iceland relations and emphasized that, during his tenure in the past three more years as the Chinese Ambassador, China-Iceland relations have kept stable development against the background of the accelerated changes in the world, the two countries have close official exchanges and have made new breakthroughs in cooperation. The bilateral Free Trade Agreement has been well implemented and the volume of bilateral trade has witnessed a substantial increase. The two countries continue to expand cooperation in areas such as geothermal energy development, carbon recycling technology utilization, the Arctic affairs, and etc. The two sides have once again extended the currency swap agreement of Chinese RMB and Icelandic krona. Facing the once-in-a-century pandemic like COVID-19, China and Iceland sail in the same boat, understanding and supporting each other, and writing a new chapter of friendship between the two sides. The two countries frequently hold eye-catching cultural exchanges events. The first "Spring Festival Gala" was successfully held in Reykjavik in 2019. The foundation of educational cooperation between China and Iceland has become stronger. The two countries signed agreements on the mutual recognition of higher education degrees, creating good conditions for the young people from both China and Iceland to study in each other's country. The people's exchanges between the two countries have become much closer. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Iceland before the pandemic increased rapidly, making China one of the main sources of international tourists to Iceland. China and Iceland have also carried out fruitful cooperation on many international issues. December 8 this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iceland. The development of bilateral relations is facing new opportunities. A good China-Iceland relationship is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples. China's rapid development not only benefits the Chinese people, but also provides new opportunities for all the countries in the world, including Iceland. Sino-Icelandic relations have great potential for development and promising prospects.

Ambassador Jin said he feels extremely pleased and proud of participating in the cultivation of the great tree of friendship between China and Iceland. He expressed his sincere gratitude to the Icelandic government, the Parliament of Iceland, friends from all walks of life, and foreign envoys in Reykjavik for their strong support to himself as well as to the Embassy. Ambassador Jin also spoke highly of the contributions made by the overseas Chinese and Chinese students in Iceland who care deeply about their motherland and greatly promote the development of China-Iceland relations. In the end, Ambassador Jin said he will continue to keep Iceland in his heart and contribute to the friendship and cooperation between China and Iceland.

At the reception, a video clip of Ambassador Jin's work and life in Iceland as well as his photographic works were played, which struck a responsive chord in the heart of the audience. The guests spoke highly of Ambassador Jin's hard work and important contributions to the development of China-Iceland relations during his tenure in Iceland, and thanked Ambassador Jin and the Chinese Embassy for their great support. Everyone at the reception enjoyed chatting with each other and the atmosphere was friendly and warm. The guests said goodbye to Ambassador Jin and his wife one after another, looking forward to reuniting again in the future.