Around 700 people on Tuesday gathered in the European Parliament to participate in a special event marking the coming Chinese Lunar New Year which falls on February 14 this year.

At the opening ceremony of the Chinese New Year at the European Parliament, Song Zhe, head of the Chinese mission to the European Union, said every nation has its own culture and tradition whose values never fade in the nation's history.

"To respect the values of understanding and acceptance of each other can help build harmony and common progress between the nations," Song said.

Song hoped the event would provoke more interest in and insight into China and help more parliamentary members to understand China with an open mind.

Iliana Ivanova, vice chairwoman of the delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) of the European Parliament, said that the Chinese New Year at the European Parliament is "one of the biggest events to be held in the European Parliament praising the PRC and its culture and tradition."

The deputy chairwoman said that this event was a step forward toward deepening the partnership between Europe and China, while the two are facing common global challenges like global warming, terrorism and natural disasters.

She stressed that there is a need to strengthen cooperation between Europe and China.

Tuesday's opening of the special event featured traditional Chinese activities related to the Chinese Lunar New Year such as festive cooking, tea ceremony, calligraphy, brush painting, shadow boxing and martial arts.

The special event at the European Parliament runs through Thursday with lectures on Confucianism and shadow boxing.

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2010)