Xi sends congratulations to Ghazouani

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani on Friday, congratulating him on his reelection as Mauritanian president.

China and the northwestern African country enjoy traditional friendship, Xi said, adding that under the guidance of the two leaders, bilateral ties have developed steadily in recent years, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields have yielded rich outcomes.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Mauritania relations, and hopes to work with Ghazouani to further boost friendly cooperation between the two countries and better benefit people in both countries.

China and Mauritania established diplomatic relations in 1965.

China is the largest trading partner for Mauritania, China's Foreign Ministry said, adding that bilateral trade reached $2.25 billion last year, a 7.4 percent year-on-year increase.

Ghazouani was first elected Mauritanian president in 2019. Mauritania's Constitutional Council on Thursday confirmed Ghazouani's reelection, Agence France-Presse reported.

Xi met with Ghazouani in Chengdu, Sichuan province, last July, when Ghazouani was attending the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visiting China.