BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French president.

In his message, Xi said over the past five years, the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of development under the guidance of the two heads of state.

The two sides have continued to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, combated the COVID-19 pandemic shoulder to shoulder, jointly upheld multilateralism and improved global governance, injecting new impetus to the development of China-European Union relations and making new contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.

Noting that both China and France are major countries with a tradition of staying independent, Xi said the strategic significance of the sound and stable development of China-France relations has become ever more prominent as the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes.

Xi said he always views the bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, and stands ready to continuously work with Macron to uphold the original aspiration of the establishment of the diplomatic relations featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, work together to push China-France relations to new heights and bring benefits to the people of the two countries and the rest of the world.

(Source: Xinhua)