President of China Xi Jinping congratulated his new Iranian counterpart on the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations, calling for efforts to promote cooperation and strengthen the “strategic comprehensive partnership” between them.

As Iran and China mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties, the Chinese leader on Monday exchanged congratulatory messages with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Xi hailed the relations between the two regional allies, stressing that the 2016 comprehensive strategic partnership has “strengthened mutual trust” and both sides have made “steady progress in mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.” China “attaches great importance” to its relations with Iran, and is “willing to deepen cooperation”, Xi told Raisi, as quoted by Chinese state-run daily Global Times.

The Chinese leader also underlined cooperation between the two countries in combating COVID-19, saying the two sides have been “helping each other since the onset of the pandemic.” Xi also said that he “highly values” the China-Iran relationship and is keen on taking the 50th anniversary of ties as an opportunity to deepen their friendship, promote cooperation in various fields and enrich the comprehensive strategic pact for the benefit of the two countries and their people.

Raisi, for his part, hailed the two countries as “ancient civilizations” and said the friendship between the two sides is like an “ancient tree that draws nutrients from thousands of years of friendly exchanges,” Press TV reported.

He also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to building stronger ties with China as “unwavering”.

President Raisi also stressed that as bilateral relations between the two sides enter the 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.