Xi vows closer ties with Peru, Montenegro

President Xi Jinping underscored on Monday China's commitment to strengthening partnerships with Peru and Montenegro, extending a message to congratulate Peru's president-elect and exchanging messages with Montenegro's president to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

In the message to congratulate Keiko Fujimori on her election as president of Peru, Xi said China and Peru are comprehensive strategic partners, and that the relations between the two countries maintain good momentum for development.

High-level exchanges between the two sides have been frequent, practical cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results, and people-to-people friendship enjoys deep public support, he said.

Noting that this year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Peru, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Peru relations. He added that he stands ready to work with President-elect Fujimori to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two nations and steer the comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights to better benefit the two peoples.

Also on Monday, President Xi and Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic exchanged congratulations on the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Xi noted that China and Montenegro enjoy a deep traditional friendship. Over the past 20 years since the establishment of ties, the two countries have consistently respected each other, treated each other as equals, and pursued mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, setting a model of friendly relations and common development between countries of different sizes, he said.

Xi expressed his readiness to work with Milatovic, taking the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations as a new starting point, to carry forward and promote bilateral traditional friendship, continuously deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and guide China-Montenegro relations to a new level, so as to better benefit the two peoples.

For his part, Milatovic said Montenegro and China have consistently developed friendly and cooperative relations on the basis of mutual respect and understanding.

The Montenegrin side stands ready to take the anniversary as an opportunity to further consolidate and deepen friendly relations with China, expand cooperation in various fields, benefit the people of both countries, and make positive contributions to promoting world peace and development, he added.

XINHUA-CHINA DAILY