A Chinese special envoy on Thursday forwarded the congratulation and salute from President Hu Jintao on Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete's election and inauguration as the fourth president of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Special Envoy Zhang Hongxi, a former ambassador to Dar es Salaam, congratulated Kikwete on behalf of Hu while Chinese Ambassador Yu Qingtai handed over to Kikwete the letter of congratulations from Hu.

In the ensuing talks at the State House, both sides spoke highly of the bilateral friendship and described it as founded by the old generation of state leaders and fostered by the ensuing generations of state leaders of the two countries.

The Tanzanian side thanked the Chinese government and people for their timely and all-out support during its independence campaign and social and economic constructions while the Chinese side thanked the Tanzanian government and people for their support on the one-China policy.

Kikwete, who has been serving as Tanzania's foreign minister for the past decade, described the Chinese government and people as "valuable friends and cooperation partners." He hoped that both sides will further their friendship and cooperation in global as well as regional affairs.

Kikwete, 55, was returned as winner of the 2005 Tanzanian presidential polls, garnering 9,123,952 or 80.28 percent of the valid votes of 11,875,927 cast on Wednesday last week to win for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in the presidential elections.

(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2005)