Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday congratulated Barack Obama on his re-election as U.S. president.

Hu said in a message that Sino-U.S. relations made positive progress in the past four years as a result of joint efforts.

Hu said he and Obama have reached consensus on building a Sino-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, and on exploring the construction of new relations between big powers.

Bilateral mechanisms including the Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange have produced good results, he said, adding the two countries have conducted fruitful coordination and cooperation in bilateral and major international and regional affairs.

Maintaining steady, healthy and stable development of Sino-U.S. relations is in the fundamental interests of both peoples and conducive to peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large, Hu said.

China is willing to work with the U.S. side for the future and strive for new progress in Sino-U.S. relations in order to bring greater benefits to the two peoples as well as people of the world, he added.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also congratulated Obama by sending a message.

Wen said a favorable and stable Sino-U.S. relationship, which is constantly moving ahead, is in line with the basic interests of the two countries and the common aspirations of the two peoples. It is also conducive to world peace, security and prosperity, he added.

Wen believed that, with joint efforts, Sino-U.S. relations will surely make headway.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping congratulated Joe Biden on his re-election as U.S. vice president.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2012)