Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani exchanged congratulatory messages on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between China and Iraq.

Hu, in his message, lauded the smooth development of bilateral ties in the past half century, which, he said, had entered a new phase of development with the establishment of the new Iraqi government.

The two countries have increased political contacts, and gradually resumed cooperation in various fields and maintained good communication and coordination on some major international and regional affairs, said Hu.

The Chinese government always respects the will and choice of the Iraqi people and supports Iraq's efforts to safeguard national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and to realize stability and development, the president said.

He went on to say that China attaches great importance to the long-term development of a stable, all-round and friendly relationship with Iraq.

He said that currently, bilateral ties are faced with new opportunities of development. China is willing to join hands with Iraq to maintain the good momentum of development of bilateral ties and steadily push forward bilateral exchanges and cooperation in all fields, to write a new chapter of Sino-Iraqi friendship in the new era.

In his message, Talabani also praised bilateral ties and thanked China's persistent support. He said Iraq hopes to further expand bilateral cooperation in all areas to create a better future for the all-round friendly relationship between the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2008)