Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Lisbon, Portugal, Dec. 4, 2018. (XIE HUANCHI / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a message to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, congratulating him on his reelection as Portuguese president.

Xi said in the message that since last year, China-Portugal relations have stood the test of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the traditional friendship between the two countries has gained new momentum.

Partnership in fighting the pandemic and in the health field has made great strides and pragmatic cooperation has made new progress, the Chinese leader said.

Xi said he attaches great importance to developing relations with Portugal and stands ready to work with the Portuguese president to advance the bilateral ties for new achievements to benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

Partnership in fighting the pandemic and in the health field has made great strides and pragmatic cooperation has made new progress, President Xi Jinping said

In the presidential elections held on Sunday, incumbent president Rebelo de Sousa from the center-right Social Democratic Party won with an overwhelming majority, securing 60 percent of the votes polled.

ALSO READ: Portugal president Rebelo de Sousa wins new term

President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Beijing, capital of China, Sept 6, 2018. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Also on Wednesday, Xi congratulated Yoweri Museveni on his reelection as Uganda's president.

In a message to Museveni, Xi said China and Uganda maintain a traditional friendship and they have been supporting and trusting each other with fruitful cooperation in various fields.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the two countries have been supporting and assisting each other, writing a chapter of friendship and solidarity in the joint fight against the virus, Xi said.

Saying he considers relations between China and Uganda as greatly important, Xi expressed willingness to work with Museveni to advance the development of bilateral ties to make new achievements to deliver more benefits to the two countries and the two peoples.

Uganda's Electoral Commission announced on Jan 16 that Museveni had won the country's presidential elections with 58.64 percent of the tallied votes. The 76-year-old beat his main rival, the 38-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, a musician turned politician. Kyagulanyi got 34.83 percent of the total votes tallied.

Observers say this has been one of Uganda's most contested elections, pitting the young against the old generation.

Museveni won the elections with the slogan, "securing your future".His win extends his rule for another five-year term for the African country since he came to power in 1986.

READ MORE: Uganda's President Museveni leads polls, preliminary results show