President Hu Jintao and Than Shwe, chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council, exchanged congratulatory messages Tuesday to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Over the past 60 years, the China-Myanmar relationship has been growing robustly under the guidance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, which has brought substantial benefits to the two peoples, Hu said in his message.

In the new century, leaders of the two countries have carried out frequent contact and exchanges, reaching a series of new cooperation agreements and setting new goals for the development of bilateral ties, he said.

Hu said that bilateral trade and economic cooperation has maintained good momentum and positive achievement has been made in some key cooperation areas. The president added that the two nations have also showed understanding and support to each other in international and regional affairs.

China values its "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship with Myanmar, Hu said.

The president stressed that advancing the development of a long-term and stable good-neighborly relationship of cooperation between the two sides is an important part of China's diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. He said that will not change no matter how the international situation evolves.

China is willing to join hands with Myanmar to expand their friendly exchanges, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and push forward their good-neighborly relations of cooperation to a new level, Hu said.

China is also ready to work together with Myanmar to safeguard and promote regional peace, stability and development, he said.

For his part, the Myanmar leader said the "Paukphaw" friendship between Myanmar and China has been steadily increasing since the establishment of diplomatic ties on the basis of equality, mutual respect and trust, and friendly cooperation.

During the past several decades, China and Myanmar have both upheld and followed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, achieving far-reaching progress in bilateral ties, Than Shwe said.

Bilateral cooperation in various fields has been strengthened significantly thanks to the concerted efforts of the peoples and leaders of both sides, he said.

Myanmar is willing to make joint efforts with China to continue to promote their traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.

Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also exchanged congratulatory messages with their respective Myanmar counterparts on Tuesday.

Wen said in his message that a strengthened relationship between China and Myanmar is in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples and also conducive to regional peace, stability and development.

Myanmar Prime Minister U Thein Sein said he believed that with the concerted efforts of both sides, the China-Myanmar good-neighborly relations of cooperation will definitely be strengthened.