Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged congratulatory messages with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. 

President Xi said since the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016, mutual political trust between the two countries has been consolidated and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields made steady progress. 

The Chinese president also said China and Iran have been helping each other since the onset of the pandemic. 

He said he highly values the China-Iran relationship and is willing to take the 50th anniversary of ties as an opportunity to deepen traditional friendship, promote cooperation in various fields and enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples. 

The Iranian president said Iran and China are both ancient civilizations and the friendship between the two is like an ancient tree that draws nutrients from thousands of years of friendly exchanges, laying a deep foundation for the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Iran's commitment to building excellent Iran-China relations is unwavering, Raisi said. As bilateral relationship enters its sixth decade, Iran will continue to enhance the level of strategic cooperation with China, strengthen communication to expand practical cooperation in various fields and continuously deepen Iran-China relations, he stressed.