BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a congratulatory message to Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Singapore.

In his message, Xi said that over the past 60 years, Singapore has embarked on a path of modernization with distinctive features and achieved remarkable development.

China and Singapore are friendly neighbors and important cooperation partners, Xi said.

He added that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 35 years ago, the two countries have always approached bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, promoted the upgrading of their ties, and achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields, setting a model for mutually beneficial, win-win cooperation and common development between countries.

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Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Singapore relations and expressed the hope that the two sides will work together to advance the all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership between China and Singapore, bring more benefits to their peoples, and inject more positive energy into regional peace and prosperity. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday also sent a congratulatory message to Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Singapore.

In the message, Li said that over the past 60 years, Singapore has maintained steady economic and social development, achieved remarkable accomplishments, and played an increasingly important role on the international and regional stage.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday sent a congratulatory message to his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Singapore.