World officials welcome the "Year of Tiger"

While overseas Chinese are celebrating the Lunar New Year, officials around the world are joining in for the big event.

Chinese in Croatia enjoyed their Lunar New Year's Eve dinner. Among the visitors was a distinguished guest, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic. This is his fourth year at the local celebrations.

Stjepan Mesic, Croatian President, said, "The Chinese people here are diligent. They are outstanding and getting along very well with Croatians. They are a model for people from other nationalities. They make their living by hard work, knowledge and skills."

This is the last year of Mesic's presidency. He says it means a lot to welcome the Year of the Tiger this way.