BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a congratulatory message to Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on his succession as the new sultan of Oman.

In the message, Xi said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, bilateral relations have made significant progress and the two sides have become strategic partners with mutual trust.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Oman relations and stands ready to work with Sultan Haitham to take bilateral strategic partnership to a new level.