BEIJING - President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders have paid visits to former leaders of the state and the Communist Party of China (CPC) to extend New Year greetings to them as the traditional Spring Festival draws near.

The veteran leaders include former President and Party chief Jiang Zemin, former top legislators Li Peng, Wan Li and Qiao Shi, and former Premier Zhu Rongji.

The former leaders thanked Hu Jintao and other leaders for their visits and passed on their best wishes to the people of all ethnic groups across the country.

Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year which falls on January 23 this year, is the country's most important annual event for family reunions.