BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday extended congratulations to Ulle Madise on her assumption of office as president of Estonia.

Xi said that China and Estonia enjoy a traditional friendship and that bilateral relations have maintained steady development in recent years, with continued progress in exchanges and cooperation across various fields, bringing benefits to the two peoples.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Estonia relations and stands ready to work with President Madise to take the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year as an opportunity to enhance political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and continuously enrich the contemporary connotations of bilateral relations.