BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election as president of Zambia.

In his message, Xi said that they have met twice in recent years, and jointly steered the development of China-Zambia relations.

The political mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, practical cooperation has been fruitful, and China and Zambia have closely coordinated and cooperated in multilateral affairs, he said.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Zambia ties, and stands ready to work with Hichilema to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

He also pledged to join the Zambian leader in carrying forward traditional friendship, cementing mutual support, and continuously raising the level of mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to take the China-Zambia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights and deliver greater benefits to the two peoples.■