President Xi Jinping congratulated Jennifer Simons on Friday on her election as Surinamese president.

In his congratulatory message, Xi depicted Suriname as a strategic cooperative partner of China in the Caribbean region.

Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, China-Suriname relations have enjoyed sound and steady growth, with fruitful practical cooperation in various fields and close coordination in multilateral affairs, since the establishment of diplomatic ties 49 years ago, he noted.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the growth of China-Suriname relations and stands ready to work with President-elect Simons to deepen mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation and further grow the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, in order to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples.

On July 6, Suriname's parliament elected Simons as president, making her the first female president of the South American country. She will be inaugurated as president on Wednesday, according to media reports.