President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on Tuesday to Joseph Aoun on assuming the presidency of Lebanon, expressing the willingness to work together with the newly elected leader to promote friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas for the greater benefit of both peoples.

In his message, Xi said China and Lebanon enjoy a longstanding friendship and that bilateral ties in recent years have maintained positive development momentum, with enhanced political mutual trust and deepening friendship between the two peoples.

The Chinese president emphasized that he highly values the development of China-Lebanon relations, saying that China will, as always, firmly support Lebanon in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China will also continue to provide assistance within its capacity to help Lebanon develop its economy and improve people's livelihoods, Xi added.

Aoun, 61, who had been Lebanon's army chief since 2017, was elected the 14th president of Lebanon in the second round of the presidential vote held on Thursday. His victory marks the end of more than two years of a presidential vacancy in the country.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, the two nations have close economic and trade cooperation, with bilateral trade reaching $1.23 billion in the first three quarters of last year. China has in recent years provided humanitarian assistance to Lebanon multiple times.