BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders have extended festive greetings over the phone or via other means to veteran comrades ahead of the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and the other leaders wished the veterans a happy Spring Festival, good health and long lives.

The veteran comrades spoke highly of the remarkable achievements made by the whole Party, military and Chinese people of all ethnic groups under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core over the past extraordinary year.

They also called on the entire Party, military and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to rally even closer around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, strive to secure a new victory in fully building a modern socialist country, and celebrate the centenary of the CPC with great achievements.