BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Friday congratulated Jennifer Simons on her election as Surinamese president.

In his congratulatory message, Xi depicted Suriname as China's strategic cooperative partner in the Caribbean region.

Thanks to the joint efforts from both sides, China-Suriname relations have enjoyed sound and steady growth with fruitful practical cooperation in various fields and close coordination in multilateral affairs over the past 49 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the growth of China-Suriname relations and stands ready to work with President-elect Simons to deepen the mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation and further grow the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership so as to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples.