Xi congratulates Vanuatu's president on election win

President Xi Jinping has congratulated Nikenike Vurobaravu on his election as president of Vanuatu, and pledged to work with the new president to promote bilateral ties.
In a congratulatory message sent to Vurobaravu on Friday, Xi said that Vanuatu is a good friend, partner and brother of China in the region of the Pacific island states.
With their comprehensive strategic partnership increasingly strengthened and their exchanges and cooperation in various sectors achieving fruitful results, Xi said that China and Vanuatu have become an example of developing countries respecting each other and strengthening solidarity and coordination.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Vanuatu relations, and stands ready to work with Vurobaravu to create even broader prospects for bilateral ties to deliver benefits to the two countries and their people.
Vurobaravu, 58, received 48 votes in the nation's 58-member Electoral College on Saturday after eight rounds of voting since last Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
He had served as the coordinator of the Vanuatu Comprehensive Reform Program for the Asian Development Bank and a political adviser in the prime minister's office. He was also Vanuatu's high commissioner to Fiji.
caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn