Xi congratulates Dan on election as president of Romania

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent congratulations to Nicusor Dan on his election as Romanian president.

Xi pointed out that Romania is the third country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. For a long time, China and Romania have respected each other and treated each other as equals, he said, adding that mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries has continued to advance, and the traditional friendship has grown stronger over time.

At present, global changes unseen in a century are accelerating, Xi said, noting that as good friends and partners, China and Romania should enhance communication, build consensus, and deepen cooperation to jointly seize the opportunities of the times and work together to address risks and challenges.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Romania relations and is willing to work together with Dan to write a new chapter of friendly cooperation between the two countries and bring more benefits to the people of both countries.