Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno, on Thursday, exchanged congratulatory messages on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship. 

In his message, Xi said China and Ecuador enjoy solid relations, and the two countries have built on their relationship based on equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation.

"The two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership when I was paying a state visit to Ecuador in November 2016, and President Moreno's visit to China in 2018 gave new impetus to the bilateral ties," Xi noted.

China highly values the relationship with Ecuador, and it is willing to deepen cooperation with the country in the future, he added.

Moreno echoed Xi's words in his message, saying the two countries built their relationship based on friendliness, progress, and development in the past four decades.

He hopes the two sides would strengthen friendly cooperation, bringing benefits to people from both countries, he said.