President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on Wednesday to Mohamed Irfaan Ali on his reelection as president of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, pledging to further elevate bilateral ties to new heights.

In his message, Xi highlighted that Guyana was the first country in the Caribbean region to establish diplomatic relations with China.

Over the 53 years since the establishment of ties, the relationship has advanced in a sound and steady manner, marked by fruitful practical cooperation across various sectors and close coordination in multilateral affairs, he said.

Recalling that he and Ali reached important consensus on the development of bilateral relations during their meeting in July 2023 in Chengdu, Sichuan province, Xi said he is willing to work with the Guyanese president to deepen mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, in order to better benefit the two peoples.

In July 2018, China and Guyana signed a memorandum of understanding on Belt and Road cooperation. According to the General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade in goods reached $1.41 billion in 2024, up 14.3 percent year-on-year.

Ali was sworn in on Sunday at the presidential residence in the Guyanese capital, Georgetown, marking the start of his second term as Guyana's 10th president.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn