Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday exchanged congratulatory messages with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe Velez to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Chinese President Hu said in the message that the bilateral relations between China and Colombia have developed smoothly in the past 30 years.

Hu said the Chinese-Colombian relations have entered a new stage of rapid development especially in the recent years, with more frequent exchanges of high-level visits between the two countries and more cooperation in various fields.

The Colombian government adhered to the one China policy, Hu said, adding that the Chinese government appreciated Colombia's stance.

The Chinese president also observed that the two economies are highly complementary and have great potentials for further cooperation.

Hu said the friendly cooperative relations between the two countries not only benefit the two peoples, but also inject new vitality into the relations between China and Latin America.

The Chinese government has always paid great attention to the Chinese-Colombian relations, Hu said. Moreover, China is willing to make joint efforts with Colombia to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship and to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, so as to upgrade their friendly cooperation and relations to a new and higher level.

In his message, Colombian President Uribe said the relations between the two countries have been continuously strengthened, with more high-level visits and increased trade and investments.

He said the past 30 years have witnessed closer economic and technological cooperation, increasing educational and cultural communication, and good cooperation between the two countries on multilateral occasions.

President Uribe said the Colombian government would like to further boost the friendly cooperation and relations with China, which is seen as one of its major strategic partners in the Asia-Pacific region.