BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday sent a congratulatory message to Kamla Persad-Bissessar on her assuming office as prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago is an important partner of China in the Caribbean region, said Li in the message, adding that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 51 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed a sound and steady development of bilateral relations, with their cooperation yielding fruitful results across various fields and traditional friendship deepening between the two peoples.

Li spoke highly of Persad-Bissessar's role as a key participant in and promoter of the development of China-Trinidad and Tobago ties.

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China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations, Li said, adding that he is ready to work with Persad-Bissessar to take the opportunity of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to elevate the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Trinidad and Tobago to new heights and bring more benefits to the two peoples.