Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Vanuatuan counterpart, Tallis Obed Moses, on Saturday exchanged congratulatory messages to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In his message, President Xi said that since China and Vanuatu established diplomatic ties 40 years ago, bilateral relations have been tested by the changing international situation, political mutual trust between the two countries has been ever deepening, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields have yielded fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries.

The two countries have helped each other and fought side by side against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has deepened their friendship, Xi said, adding that China-Vanuatu relations have become an example of mutual respect, solidarity and coordination between developing countries.

Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Vanuatu relations, saying that he is ready to work with Moses to take the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations as a new starting point to deepen and expand bilateral dialogue, exchanges and cooperation in various fields, so as to push the China-Vanuatu comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level for the benefits of the two countries and their peoples.

For his part, Moses spoke highly of ties with China. China has been an important partner for development as well as a permanent and reliable friend of Vanuatu in the past 40 years, he said.

He stressed that Vanuatu firmly adheres to the one-China principle and hopes to push the relationship with China forward by taking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity.

Moses also congratulated the Communist Party of China (CPC) on its great achievements since its founding more than 100 years ago and said he wishes the 20th CPC National Congress a great success.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulatory messages with Vanuatu's Prime Minister Bob Loughman.

In his message, Li said the Chinese side attaches great importance to the development of China-Vanuatu ties, and stands ready to work with Vanuatu to take the 40th anniversary of bilateral ties as an opportunity to enhance the synergy of the two countries' development strategies and tap the potential of practical cooperation, so as to push for new and even greater development of China-Vanuatu relations.

In his message, Loughman said Vanuatu highly values the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, cherishes their fruitful cooperation, and sincerely appreciates China's continuous support for its national development.

Vanuatu is willing to work with China to expand cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and enhance coordination in multilateral areas in order to continuously deepen the two countries' relations.

(With input from Xinhua)