Presidents of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) exchanged congratulatory messages Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The establishment of diplomatic ties is a right decision made by leaders of China and the UAE, and opened a new chapter in the relations between the two countries, Chinese President Hu Jintao said in a message to his UAE counterpart Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Over the past 20 years, friendly cooperation between China and the UAE has steadily developed and mutual understanding and trust gradually increased, Hu said, adding that the two countries have had fruitful exchanges and cooperation in fields such as trade, aviation, culture, health and international affairs.

In the new situation, consolidating and developing friendly relations and expanding and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the UAE not only serve the common interests of both countries, but will also contribute to world and regional peace and stability, Hu said.

The Chinese president said he is willing to work side by side with his UAE counterpart in deepening the Sino-UAE friendly cooperation in an all-around manner.

In his message to Hu, UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan said that after 20 years of concerted efforts, relations between his country and China have had a sound foundation, and fruitful friendly cooperation has been strengthened in various fields.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his UAE counterpart Rashid Abdullah also exchanged congratulatory messages.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2004)